The Challenges of Struggling Writers: Strategies That Can Help

Writing is a necessary skill in our technological world. Many people have a mobile device that they use for e-mailing, social media, as an alarm clock to start the day, reading the news, searching for information, ordering food, managing transportation (e.g., monitoring traffic, accessing public transit), or for relaxing pursuits, such as watching a movie or listening to music. While these tasks are natural and almost effortless for numerous people, many students struggle with composing longer prose, especially for academic tasks. The 2021 U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress for Writing, for example, indicates that as many as 75% of students cannot write at a basic level. In this article, the author discusses recent examples from the professional literature about why writing can be a challenge for students, what is involved in writing assessment, how we can help students improve their writing skills, and how we can promote technology as part of the instruction and learning processes.

Using Data-Based Instruction to Support Struggling Elementary Writers

Writing is a critical academic and life skill, but many school-age children struggle with the complexity of written expression. Given the importance of writing, there is a clear need for a systematic approach to identifying and supporting struggling writers, including writers with learning and emotional disabilities. One such approach is known as data-based instruction (DBI). This article presents an overview of DBI and guidance on how educators can use the DBI steps with assessment data to inform their classroom writing instruction. Additional resources are shared to support teachers in using DBI with their struggling writers and writers with learning and emotional disabilities.

A sentence-combining intervention for struggling writers: response to intervention

Children who struggle with writing are a heterogeneous group and may experience difficulties in a range of domains, including spelling, reading, and oral language. These difficulties are reflected in their writing and may influence their responsiveness to writing interventions. The effectiveness of a targeted sentence-combining intervention to improve the writing skills of 71 struggling writers, aged 7 to 10 years, was compared with a spelling intervention and a business as usual (waiting list) control condition. Some struggling writers also performed poorly on measures of reading and oral language. Children's performance on a range of writing measures were assessed at baseline (t1), immediate post-test (t2) and delayed post-test (t3). Children receiving the sentence-combining intervention showed significant improvements in the sentence combining measure at t2 and t3 compared to both the spelling intervention and waiting list controls. Exploratory regression analyses found that children in the sentence-combining intervention, with a low t1 sentence combining score, low reading skills or better t1 spelling skills, were more likely to show improvements at t2. Findings indicate that when devising interventions for struggling writers, specific profiles of skills should be considered. Specifically, sentence combining may be more appropriate for SWs whose primary area of difficulty is reading, rather than poor spelling or oral language.

Technology-mediated writing: It’s not how much, but the thought that counts

Struggling writers including students with disabilities (SWD) need instructional strategies to support their ability to write independently. Integrating technology-mediated instruction to support student writing can mitigate students' challenges throughout the writing process and personalize instruction. In the present group design study, teachers taught 11 to 12 year olds in sixth grade with varying abilities to use a technology-based graphic organizer (TBGO) when digitally planning and composing a persuasive paragraph. Results indicated that the writing quality of the paragraph and use of transition words by typical and struggling writers was significantly better when the TBGO was used as compared to students who wrote without the TBGO. Additionally, when the TBGO was removed, students in the treatment group maintained gains. Student participants and teachers in this study identified features that were especially supportive to students’ writing behaviors. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Contextualizing Instruction for Struggling Writers

During the past decade, much reform has taken place within reading and writing developmental education at community colleges. One area of reform has focused on reducing the number of developmental education credits taken while accelerating the students’ literacy growth. This article describes a pilot project where, instead of taking a developmental education reading and writing course, the students co-enrolled in a zero-credit social sciences skills lab and at least one college-level gateway course. The lab focuses on reading and writing in the disciplines. Using classroom examples, the article also outlines the pedagogical approaches used in the lab. This 2018–19 pilot was characterized as promising, using prescribed institutional success metrics; as a result, version 2.0 will be implemented for 2021–22.

How to Teach Writing Effectively in a Virtual Environment

This chapter focuses on the challenge that many general educators face when they transition into the virtual learning environment. Even talented writing teachers struggle to shift their regular teaching practices to fit the format of online instruction. The author will address some of the pitfalls of stepping into the virtual world and then focus on the best practices for virtual writing instruction, including this author's recommended program, The Writer's Workshop by Lucy Calkins. The chapter will offer some tangible strategies for any virtual educator to teach writing in their subject area. It will also address essential contributors to student learning, like fostering a classroom culture online, assessing students, and working with struggling writers. While the virtual education field is forever evolving, teachers can benefit from practicing these strategies, as well as continuing to focus on professional development and growth in order to grow themselves and their student writers effectively.

Revising with Metacognition to Promote Writing Achievement

This study examined the relationship between metacognitive revision and writing achievement. Since American students often have had little strategic writing instruction in high school, they frequently come to college as non-proficient writers. By focusing on self-improvement rather than agonizing over the quality of the final product, struggling writers’ fears and lack of confidence can be mitigated, allowing growth. Requiring students to revise their essays and explain these revisions may influence the likelihood of completing the stages of the writing process, including using feedback. Results indicated that students who received high scores in revision explanations often received higher scores on the final essays than their peers. Additionally, from the pre- to post-intervention attitudinal survey, student responses showed more positive feelings about writing, increased confidence in ability and self-efficacy, and greater interest in providing feedback to classmates. Despite these gains, fewer students at the end of the semester felt that feedback, revision and reflection affected their writing performance, suggesting feelings of frustration at the multi-faceted process.

A College Entrance Essay Exam Intervention for Students With High-Incidence Disabilities and Struggling Writers

High school students with high-incidence disabilities and struggling writers face considerable challenges when taking writing assessments designed for college entrance. This study examined the effectiveness of a writing intervention for improving students’ performance on a college entrance exam, the writing assessment for the ACT. Students were taught a planning and composing strategy for successfully taking this test using the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) model. A true-experiment was conducted where 20 high school students were randomly assigned to a treatment ( N = 10) or control ( N = 10) condition. Control students received ACT math preparation. SRSD instruction statistically enhanced students’ planning, the quality of their written text (including ideas and analysis, development and support, organization, and language use), the inclusion of argumentative elements in their compositions, and the use of transition words in written text. Limitations of the study, future research, and implications for practice are discussed.

Underutilized Technology Solutions for Student Writing

This article provides key considerations and step-by-step procedures useful for any teacher to use when planning to enhance their writing instruction with technology. This includes understanding current writing initiatives as well as recognizing the common behaviors of skilled and struggling writers. Four types of underutilized, yet commonly available technology families are described with associated online tool exemplars. These tools can be used during writing instruction across educational settings to support varying student needs. Recommendations are also made for a step-by-step approach to embedding technology within various components of writing (i.e., prewriting, research, drafting, editing, proofreading) that allows for implementation of writing strategies paired with commonly available technology. Finally, guidelines are shared to support teacher planning and implementation of effective writing strategies supported with technology.