Date of Award
4-1988
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education
First Advisor
Diane Denney
Second Advisor
Gene Henderson
Abstract
During the 1986-1987 school year, the Francis Howell School District implemented a formal writing process designed to address students/ deficiencies in language arts. An attempt was made to demonstrate the effectiveness of this program by examining the differences in language arts scores on a standardized achievement test between a class of fourth graders which was not exposed to the writing program--the comparison group, and a similar group which received instruction based on the Francis Howell Writing Process-- the experimental group.
The results of this study Indicated that exposure to the Francis Howell Writing Process did not have a significant impact on the language arts achievement of fourth graders, however, statistically non-significant gains were achieved by students In the experimental group In the fluency related skills of vocabulary, comprehension, and language expression, as well as, in the areas of total reading and total language. Since the main emphasis of the Francis Howell Writing Process was on fluency of expression, the data indicating a trend toward greater achievement in these skill areas is quite interesting and should continue to be investigated as students and teachers gain more experience with the process over the years.
This study also indicated a possible weakness in the approach of the Francis Howell Writing Process with regard to language mechanics. Although dally drill in spelling and punctuation was included in the process, data obtained in this study indicated a decline in the achievement of the experimental group as opposed to the comparison group on the language mechanics subtests of the CTBS. Although the results obtained were not statistically significant, the fact that there was a drop in these two areas may indicate a need for modification of the process with regard to its approach to language mechanics Instruction.
Recommended Citation
Rose, Carolyn, "A Study of The Effect of the Francis Howell Writing Process on the Language Arts Achievement of Fourth Grade Students" (1988). Theses. 1286.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theses/1286
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