Weblogs and Writing Instruction in the High School Classroom Marilyn V

Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks CEC Theses and Dissertations College of Engineering and Computing 2007 Painting the Voice: Weblogs and Writing Instruction in the High School Classroom Marilyn V. Olander Nova Southeastern University, [email protected] This document is a product of extensive research conducted at the Nova Southeastern University College of Engineering and Computing. For more information on research and degree programs at the NSU College of Engineering and Computing, please click here. Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd Part of the Computer Sciences Commons Share Feedback About This Item NSUWorks Citation Marilyn V. Olander. 2007. Painting the Voice: Weblogs and Writing Instruction in the High School Classroom. Doctoral dissertation. Nova Southeastern University. Retrieved from NSUWorks, Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences. (757) https://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/757. This Dissertation is brought to you by the College of Engineering and Computing at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in CEC Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Painting the Voice: Weblogs and Writing Instruction in the High School Classroom by Marilyn V. Olander A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Computing Technology in Education Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences Nova Southeastern University 2007 We hereby certify that this dissertation, submitted by Marilyn V. Olander, conforms to acceptable standards and is fully adequate in scope and quality to fulfill the dissertation requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _________________________________________ ____________________ Gertrude W. Abramson, Ed.D. Date Chairman of Dissertation Committee _________________________________________ ____________________ Marlyn Kemper Littman, Ph.D. Date Dissertation Committee Member _________________________________________ ____________________ Timothy J. Ellis, Ph.D. Date Dissertation Committee Member Approved: _________________________________________ ____________________ Edward Lieblein, Ph.D. Date Dean Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences Nova Southeastern University 2007 An Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to Nova Southeastern University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Painting the Voice: Weblogs and Writing Instruction in the High School Classroom by Marilyn V. Olander 2007 Writing is a complex cognitive skill, a technology for capturing speech whose forms and conventions began in the dawn of civilization and were in place and stable by the Middle Ages. Writing and reading are the foundation of literacy, fundamental to success in school and in the adult world. No comprehensive theory of composition guides the teaching of writing, although historically two approaches have been favored: writing as a skill acquired through the memorization and recognition of principles of grammar and usage, and more recently, writing as a process of recursive strategies of planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. The National Council of Teachers of English supports the methodology of the writing process; the literature reports that teachers perceive it as an effective tool. However, national testing programs including the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the Scholastic Aptitude Test reveal that students’ achievement in writing has not changed appreciably from the mid-level baselines established more than two decades ago. Reading and writing capabilities are closely associated with motivation. Many students function perfectly well, while others struggle. Students commonly regard writing as a chore, a closed loop between student and teacher to demonstrate what one knows, with the primary value being the correction of errors and a grade. Computer aided learning has become routine in schools. Within the past six years, teachers have begun exploring weblogs, a recent multimedia technology that draws on students’ interest in computer related communication. Blogs enable frequent writing that is either spontaneous or planned and accessible by readers whether in a password-protected environment or open to the Internet. The study used a Web survey, telephone interviews with teachers, and observation of students’ blog posts to explore the potential of blogs as a tool for teaching writing in the high school classroom. Educational blogging is as yet a new resource; a canon of best practices has yet to emerge. However, the study found that blogs hold particular promise for most young writers as an authentic, interactive domain for practicing to learn and learning to practice effective writing and its accompanying skills, reading and thinking. Acknowledgements For this dissertation, I must thank my lucky stars. And they all have names, written not in the pages of this study, but in my heart. For teaching me and guiding me, I am deeply, lastingly grateful to Dr. Gertrude W. Abramson, the chairman of my dissertation committee, who kept my feet on the path, had confidence in me even when I did not, and throughout held fast to the highest standards of accomplishment. I am equally grateful to Dr. Marlyn Kemper Littman and Dr. Timothy J. Ellis, the members of my committee, for their close, careful, and instructive reading of this work. For the opportunity to face the challenge, I give loving thanks to my husband, Donald R. Olander. For years, he urged me to go back to school, insisting that I not only should do it, I must. And then he willing accepted the consequences when I surprised both him and myself by agreeing. For their help, I am indebted to Dr. Susan Ferebee, who coded the Web survey and set up the database, saw both through lengthy sessions of testing and tweaking, and grew from stranger to friend in the process. I am grateful to Ron Mead and to Dr. Patricia F. Gilbert for reading drafts of early material and offering constructive suggestions. Thanks to Pat as well for sharing her experience with the writing of a dissertation, and for listening patiently to mine as it evolved. And I am beholden to my friends and colleagues of many years, Christine Cowan and Cathy Naro, for giving me ideas and connections that proved invaluable. For their steadfast encouragement, I am so appreciative of the many family members and friends in my constellation, in my part of the sky. For my mother, in memory. Table of Contents Abstract iii Acknowledgments iv List of Tables ix List of Figures x Chapters 1 Introduction 1 Statement of the Problem 2 Goal 4 Relevance and Significance 5 Barriers and Issues 7 Research Questions 9 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study 10 Definitions and Acronyms 12 Summary 17 2 Review of the Literature 19 Introduction 19 The Nature of Literacy 20 The Nature of Writing 21 The Interrelationship of Reading and Writing 29 Teaching Writing 32 Factors Influencing Teaching Practice 41 The Discipline Literacy of Writing 47 The Role of Motivation in Achievement 50 The Role of Authenticity in Motivation 54 New Technology, New Instructional Tools 60 The Transformative Potential of Weblogs 68 Summary 76 Contribution to the Field of Writing Instruction 78 3 Methodology 80 Restatement of the Problem 80 Goal 83 Research Method 83 Instrument Development 85 vi Web Survey 85 Telephone Interview Schedule 86 Class Observation Rating Schedule 87 Validity and Reliability 88 Validity 88 Reliability 89 Procedures 90 Participants: Selection and Eligibility 90 Data Collection 91 Forms of Data Collected 93 Formats for Presenting Results 98 Resources 99 Summary 99 4 Results 102 Introduction 102 The Web Survey 102 Methodology 102 Findings 108 Telephone Interviews 122 Methodology 122 Findings 123 Class Observation: Case Study 137 Methodology 138 Findings 140 Summary of Results 156 5 Conclusions, Implications, Recommendations, and Summary 162 Conclusions 162 Teacher and Student Participation 164 Blog Setup and Management 167 Instructional Uses of Impromptu Communication Technologies 170 The Effect of Blogging on Motivation to Write 173 The Effect of Weblogs on Writing Abilities and Achievement 179 Implications 184 Instructional Opportunities Inherent in Blogging 186 Motivation and Achievement in Writing 188 Recommendations 191 Summary 192 vii Appendixes 200 A Web Survey 201 B Telephone Interview Schedule 205 C Rating Schedule for Class Observation 208 D Adult/General Informed Consent, Telephone Interview 210 E Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval 209 F Announcements of Web Survey, First and Second 212 G Data Tables for Web Survey 214 H Web Survey: Anecdotal Data, Questions 10 and 11 219 I Notes: Semi-Structured Telephone Interviews 223 Reference List 229 viii List of Tables Table 1 National Writing Achievement of 12th Grade Students, 1998 and 2000 45 Table 2 Blog Setup and Management 110 Table 3 Feedback and Assessment 112 Table 4 Use of Impromptu Writing Tools 113 Table 5 Indicators of Motivation 115 Table 6 How Students Use Blogs 117 Table 7 Effects of Blogging on Students’ Writing Abilities 118 Table 8 Summary of Anecdotal Data, Web Survey 120 Table 9 Summary: Data for Telephone Interviews, Sections A-E 133 ix List of Figures Figure 1 Model of a Typical, Traditional Writing Assignment 36 Figure 2 Elements of a Typical Blog 72 Figure 3 Model of a Typical Blog Post 74 Figure 4 Years of Service 107 Figure 5 Years of Using Blogs 108 Figure

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