The Impact of a Teacher’s Implementation of the Writing Process on Student Performance

Abstract

Writing is a crucial skill that students need to consistently practice throughout their educational experiences. However, new technologies, such as AI, are beginning to create worries amongst educators regarding a shift from writing as an opportunity to grow towards writing as solely a product to be graded. This emerging mindset led to the development of the research question: how does a teacher’s implementation of the writing process impact a student’s performance? A review of the literature was conducted to analyze topics related to the problems that led to the development of the research question. This review consisted of three categories of research: self-efficacy, role of the teacher, and revision strategies. After the review of the literature, I conducted a four-week study centered around the implementation of the writing process in a twelfth grade Honors English IV class. The participants were nine twelfth grade students. Four data sources were used: rubric scores on a final written product, teacher feedback, student reflection on the writing process, and teacher fieldnotes. The findings of the four-week study resulted in three themes: students struggle in crafting a clear and concise thesis statement in the initial stages of the writing process, the impacts of individualized feedback are demonstrated through stronger revisions being made after receiving feedback, and student understanding of the writing process grew as a result of prioritizing revision throughout the writing process. The study findings suggest that individualized feedback provided throughout the writing process positively impacted student writing, and that students improve their understanding of the writing process as a result of prioritizing revision throughout the writing process.