Writing To Learn In Middle School Mathematics: The Effects On Academic Achievement

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate the effects of a writing to learn intervention on sixth-grade students. Participants were students enrolled in a sixth-grade class in a Southeastern United States private school. Through random grouping, students were placed into two groups. The control group (N = 18) received skill practice drills and the intervention group (N = 20) received a writing to learn intervention with a word problem. The data collection period was six-weeks. An Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to understand the impact of a writing to learn intervention and the impact on student achievement as measured by a posttest. The results indicated there was no statistically significant difference between students who received the intervention and those who did not receive the intervention (p = .133). The results also indicated that the covariates of gender (p = .660), class designation (p = .444), and ethnicity (p = .428) were not statistically significant. Discussed implications and limitations within this study illustrate the need for future research. Suggestions for future research included using different writing interventions, measuring different outcomes, conducting research over a more comprehensive time span, conducting research over different school settings, obtaining participants in a different grade level within the grades 6-8 category, researching the full scope of writing within the K-12 setting, or conducting a qualitative study rather than a quantitative study.