Writing Self-efficacy And Self-regulated Strategy Development Instruction : Perceptions Of Three Sixth-grade Students With Learning Disabilities / By Kathryn Lynn Kinsler.

Abstract

Kathryn Lynn Kinsler

Writing self-efficacy and self-regulated strategy development instruction: perceptions of three sixth-grade students with learning disabilities

Under the direction of Sybil A. Keesbury, Ed.D.

Students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to fall behind their typical peers in the area of writing (Graham & Harris, 2011; National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities, 2008). Studies indicate that self-efficacy influences writing performance and that self-regulation may be an important aspect of both metacognitive and affective aspects of writing (Bruning, Dempsey, Kauffman, McKim, & Zumbrunn, 2013). The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences of three sixth-grade students with LD as they participated in explicit self-regulation strategy instruction and to understand how those experiences influenced their writing self-efficacy.

The following research question guided this study: How do sixth-grade students with LD describe their writing self-efficacy before and after participation in explicit self-regulation strategy instruction? This study was grounded in the triadic reciprocality of social cognitive theory (Zimmerman, 1998, 2000). In this qualitative case study, three sixth-grade students with a Georgia special education eligibility of Specific Learning Disability were bounded by their shared participation in a five-week writing instructional intervention, utilizing the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instructional model developed by Harris and Graham (1985).

Data collected included participant interviews, perceived self-efficacy questionnaires, observations, and researcher field notes. Data were analyzed and interpreted thematically through the lens of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1997). Interview transcripts were evaluated to identify participants’ affect and judgment of esteem (Martin & White, 2003), students’ responses to the perceived self-efficacy questionnaires were compiled and analyzed, and observation protocols and field notes were analyzed.

Results indicated that explicit self-regulation strategy instruction may be beneficial to sixth-grade students with LD in developing writing self-efficacy and knowledge. Additionally, the SRSD instructional model may serve as an effective way to combat the common writing challenges faced by students with LD.

Despite the positive findings in this study, continued research is needed to substantiate the direct impact that self-regulation strategy instruction may have on the writing self-efficacy of students with LD. Future research studies should also consider integrating the explicit strategy instruction into the general writing curriculum throughout the school year in order to aid in long-term retention and skill transfer (Harris, Graham, Brindle, & Sandmel, 2011).