Research+Article+and+Paper

[|Writing to Read: A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Writing and Writing Instruction on Reading]

The study provides a meta-analysis of many studies conducted on the usefulness of writing and writing instruction on reading comprehension for students. I am focusing on whether writing about material read increases comprehension of it. Studies included involved students in grades 1-12 and included a treatment group that wrote about what they read, were taught to write or increased how much they wrote, and at least one reading measure that assessed the impact of the writing activities or increase. Researchers expected that writing about material read would increase comprehension.
 * Graham, S., & Hebert, M. (2011). Writing to Read: A Meta-Analysis of the Impact of Writing and Writing Instruction on Reading. //Harvard Educational Review,// 81(4), 726-731, 733-734.**
 * Problem:**

Researchers included internet database searchers and hand-searches of peer-reviewed journals to include 95 studies in the meta-analysis. The studies were categorized by question answered and coded by study descriptors, quality indicators and variables. Effect sizes were calculated and analyzed for each study.
 * Design:**

The 55 studies considered in Question 1, “Does writing about material read increase comprehension?” included the following characteristics: Grades: 2-12; 41 percent in high school, 34 percent in middle school Dates: 1930-2008 Labels: Full range, good readers, average, above-average, below-average, learning disabled, English language learners, good writers, poor writers, students with disabilities and non-learning disabled. The majority of studies included a full range of students. Genre: Narrative and Expository (68 percent expository) Content Area: Language Arts, Science, Social Studies and Psychology (55 percent science and social studies)
 * Sample:**

Extended Writing, Reading Instruction, Story Writing, question generation, question generation and answering, structured note-taking, summary writing, unstructured note-taking and short statements.
 * Strategies Used:**

An effect size was calculated for each study by subtracting the mean score of the treatment group at post-test from the mean score of the control group at post-test, divided by the standard deviation of the two groups.
 * Measure:**

The researchers categorized the studies and their effect sizes into groups based on what issues were addressed by the study, and an average weighted effect size was calculated for each of the three questions addressed by the researchers.
 * Data Analysis:**

The researchers concluded that writing about material read enhances reading comprehension. 94 percent of studies produced a positive effect size Average weighted effect size of 11 studies measuring comprehension with norm-referenced test: .37 (statistically significant) Average weighted effect size of 55 studies considered in Question 1: .5 (statistically significant) Students taught to apply writing procedures in 45 percent of studies Effect sizes for writing activities, summary writing, note taking and asking or answering questions were all positive, ranging from .28 to .68. Positive effect on weaker readers: Effect size of .64, with 83 percent of studies yielding a positive result.
 * Results:**

The effects of writing about materials read on reading comprehension proved “statistically significant and generally robust” (726). Writing strategies were particularly effective when they included writing activities, summary writing, note-taking and asking answering questions. Writing activities had a particularly significant impact on the reading comprehension of weaker readers.
 * What Does This Mean?**

How can we bring writing activities into the classroom more often to facilitate greater understanding and comprehension, particularly in the disciplines which do not typically involve writing? And what about math class, which was not included in this study (though science and social studies were)?
 * Questions to Ponder:**

This study definitely rang true to what I believe about English reading and writing instruction: Students need to learn to read like a writer in order to question the author, understand intentionally placed details, metaphors and imagery, and identify themes and agendas. Of course, the best way to facilitate reading as writers is to incorporate writing activities in reading. Double-entry journals, summary writing, note-taking and having students generate questions and answers are all great examples to build upon. As they write more and more, they will both comprehend the text at hand more clearly but also learn how to comprehend future texts more easily and closely.