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Gordon, Kimberly

At the secondary level, essay writing skills are valued and related to academic success. This study investigates the implementation of a resource entitled The Write Path that targets persuasive essay writing skills. This resource was created by the Surrey School District and is currently used and available for purchase in the district, but no studies have been conducted to evaluate its impact on students' writing. Data were collected from grade eight students over a period of four months. Students completed an initial writing sample and then the lessons from the resource were implemented. Afterwards, students wrote a final composition which was compared to their initial writing sample. Data indicate that this resource has a positive impact on students who have adequate knowledge of the English language. Many students' writing showed impressive improvement, exceeding expectations in skills related to knowledge of essay structure and persuasive techniques. However, not all participants showed significant improvement. The data suggest that this resource is less effective for students who struggle with English skills. Presumably, students must have certain prerequisite skills to work within their zone of proximal development in order for the lessons in this resource to have a positive impact on students' writing.

Text

University of British Columbia. LLED 590

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0078062

Education, Faculty of; Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of

Graduate

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