Why Do Students Underperform in Writing? Examining What Is Taught in High School English Classrooms

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 3
  In Poster Session: Innovations in Literacy Research, Theory, and Practice: Poster Session 1

Abstract

This research reflects the efforts of educational researchers to collaborate with national, state, and local stakeholders to address students’ underperformance in writing. The purpose for the research, which was funded by an Investing in Innovation (i3) Validation grant, was to discover the frequency with which teachers using an expository reading and writing curriculum have engaged 11th and 12th grade students in reading and writing and to provide possible explanations as to why teachers choose to teach and omit certain aspects of the curriculum. Using a mixed-method approach, researchers found that teachers taught activities associated with reading more often than those associated with writing and identified some possible explanations for why this may be occurring in high school English classrooms.

Authors

• Norman J. Unrau, California State University

• Anne Porterfield, WestEd

• Fong Tony

• Rebeca Diaz, WestEd