"I Can't Write Outside the Box": Writing Instruction in an Underperforming Public High School

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Transitions in Writing Lives: Young People Writing in and Beyond High School

Abstract

To investigate writing instruction in a diverse, underperforming public high school, I utilized qualitative research methods guided by narrative inquiry to capture the impressions of students and teachers about writing instruction in two English classrooms. I gathered data through weekly field notes, interviews with the teachers conducted at three points in the year, and artifacts of writing instruction. I engaged in a process of open, axial, and selective coding of this data to mine significant themes. Key findings from this study point to limited time devoted to writing instruction in general, limited pre-writing and editing strategies, no technology integration, and generally low expectations for students’ stamina and sophistication with writing.

Keywords: Writing Instruction, Underperforming High Schools, Diverse Students, Narrative Inquiry

Author

• Mellinee K. Lesley, Texas Tech University