Revision Strategies: Developing Independent, Motivated Writers

Abstract

My study centers on ways revision strategies impact student writing development and motivation to improve 12th grade students’ self-efficacy as they prepare for post-secondary writing activities. This led to my two research questions concerning how revision strategies can impact students’ writing development, and how students’ feelings about revision impact the steps they take during the revision process. I devised a mixed-method study that triangulated quantitative data (collected from rubric scores of three drafts per student) with qualitative data (collected from questionnaires, observation notes, peer feedback forms, self-evaluations, and conference notes) to understand the impact of revision strategies on students’ revision behaviors and what impact students’ feelings have on their motivation to improve their writing abilities. Based on my findings, several conclusions can be surmised: student accuracy in identifying writing weaknesses affects their revision choices, specific feedback impacts their revision behaviors, and interpersonal revision strategies can impact students’ motivation to develop as writers. One implication from this research is that multiple opportunities for writing discourse and student-assessed activities help students recognize weaknesses in their own writing.