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Abstract

Writing is a multi-layered endeavor that calls on the writer to use their technical skills and rely on their emotional investment to realize a desired outcome. New practitioners need approaches for supporting students’ motivation and as well as skill development in writing. However, explicit attention to supporting students’ motivation to write has not been largely addressed in teacher preparation programs. The Motivation to Write Profile – College (MWP-C) instrument was developed to assess teacher candidates’ self-concept as a writer and value of writing. This qualitative study analyzed the open-ended responses of 96 teacher candidates to prompts related to self-concept as a writer and value in writing. The findings indicate that teacher candidates were more likely to use pedagogical practices to support students’ self-concept as a writer. Conversely, they expressed a greater reliance on collaborative conversations as a means of developing students’ value in writing. Based on the distinct approaches revealed in the findings, teacher preparation programs need to provide modeling, guidance, and encouragement in writing that will foster their teacher candidates’ understanding of motivation in writing. Furthermore, methods courses need to guide teacher candidates in their exploration of approaches for factors of motivation, value of writing and self-concept as a writer.

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