The Attitudes of Children with Specialized Language-Learning Needs toward Process Writing

Author

Kara M. McAlister

Date of Award

4-1995

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences

First Advisor

Dr. Michael J. Clark

Second Advisor

Dr. Christine M. Bahr

Third Advisor

Dr. Nickola W. Nelson

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

Students with specialized language-learning needs, who had participated in a computer-based writing lab at Western Michigan University, were interviewed regarding their knowledge about and attitudes toward a process approach to writing instruction. The students orally answered questions posed by the researcher in individual thirty-minute interviews. A Likert-type scale was used to measure the students' attitude toward process writing along with open-ended questions to investigate the students' knowledge about process writing. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data.

Responses to the knowledge questions indicated that the students have a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of author groups than of the other components of process writing. Planning and organizing was the component of process writing that the students had the most difficulty explaining. Their knowledge of revising and editing was limited to editing the form of their stories rather than content. The students' overall attitudes toward many of the aspects of process writing were positive, especially toward the aspects of ownership and publication of their writing.

Recommended Citation

McAlister, Kara M., "The Attitudes of Children with Specialized Language-Learning Needs toward Process Writing" (1995). Masters Theses. 3349.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3349