"Wicked Problems" as Writing Tasks: The Impact of a Design-Based Intervention on Secondary English Classes

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Fresh Takes on Equitable ELA Instruction

Abstract

Abstract:
Research shows that many students grow to dislike writing as they move through the educational system (e.g., Graham, Berninger & Fan, 2007; Ryan, 2014). Responding to this concern, a design team developed an instructional intervention for a high school English course that incorporates elements of human-centered design, multiliteracies, and rhetorical genre theory as part of a design-based research study. This study examined the impact this intervention had on teachers’ instructional planning and students’ motivation in the writing process. Findings suggest that human-centered design supports teachers in designing instruction that makes space for students to embrace their out-of-school literacy practices in educational settings, encourages multimodal composing, and increases students’ motivation when it comes to writing in school.

Author

• Carrie L. James, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign