Call
for Writing Teachers to Participate in Study
Positions:
Principal Researchers to read relevant background material, design
the research project, help associate researchers implement project,
collect data, and write results of study
Associate Researchers to read relevant background material and
implement the designed project in their classrooms in Session 2,
2006
Purpose of the Study:
-
to investigate the relationship between various types of feedback and student writing improvement
-
to identify which types of feedback are most effective in improving
student writing
-
to conduct the research so as to avoid the kinds of flaws that have
undermined the validity of previous investigations into this topic
from
Timeline for the Study:
September 2005, Principal and Associate Researchers will be given
copies of the relevant research into response to student writing,
including Response to Student Writing: implications for second
language students.
October 1-15, 2005, Principals and Associates will meet to discuss
issues brought out in the research.
October 15 –November 15, 2005, Principal Researchers will design
research project.
Between November 15- and December 15, Principals and Associates will
meet and arrange for implementation in Session 2.
Session 2, 2006, Associates will implement research project and
collect data. Principals will analyze the data and write up the
results and implications in a formal paper.
Impetus for the Study: Hoping to find the magic bullet for improving
student writing, a group of EAP and Prep writing instructors read
Chapter 3 (“Error Correction”) of Dana Ferris’ recently published
book Response to Student Writing: implications for second language
students. Chapter 3 is a review of the literature on the efficacy of
teacher response to student writing. Ferris concludes that there is
no valid research that identifies response techniques that will help
students improve their writing. Rather, Ferris finds serious
problems with much of the accepted research, including
-
the failure of researchers to take into account differences in error
feedback methods and instruction methods
-
small sample sizes and treatment groups
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insufficient periods of data collection
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lack of true control groups
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failure to define and then measure linguistic accuracy
-
the use of independent raters or coders -
the calculation and reporting of inter-rater reliability
coefficients -
identifying which feedback techniques are most efficient in terms of
teacher time and student improvement
This study aims at overcoming these flaws. To that end, all teachers
teaching writing courses at any level are invited to participate in
a college-wide study on the types of feedback given to students on
writing assignments.
If you are interested, please contact Dr. Nicholas Bekas at ext.
1421 or nbekas@valenciacc.edu
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