An Exploration of Students' Motivation to Write
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AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION of Thomas J. Abrams, Jr. for the degree of Doctor of Education in Learning, Leadership, and Community presented on May 16, 2018. Title: Invisible Ink: An Exploration of Students’ Motivation to Write Abstract Approved Dr. Meg Petersen, PhD Dissertation Committee Chair This qualitative study investigates the motivation to write of four students in an upper middle class suburban community in the northeastern part of the United States. Utilizing a multiple case study approach, this current research focused on the interplay of the individual within the socio-cultural environment, using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological systems framework and Bourdieu’s (1997) notion of habitus as analytical lenses. This study moved beyond a linear model of motivation to account for the complexities of interacting motivational processes and focused on student perspective, noticeably absent from the motivation research literature. Findings suggest that five factors contribute to a student’s motivation to write. First, a student’s habitus, and specifically its concordance or discordance within a certain context, profoundly affects his or her motivation to write. Second, motivation to write is informed by a student’s identity within a certain context. Third, social and contextual supports can facilitate motivation to write, depending upon a student’s identity and habitus. Fourth, a student’s perception of autonomy, informed by his or her habitus and identity and promoted by a feeling of agency, could motivate a student to write. Fifth, students could be motivated to write to explore the complex emotions encountered in the social world and across various contexts. Implications suggest that taking into account in-school writing experiences of high school students can inform educators about changes necessary to the design and implementation of writing instruction and assessment practices. © by Thomas J. Abrams, Jr. May 16, 2018 All Rights Reserved Invisible Ink: An Exploration of Students’ Motivation to Write By Thomas J. Abrams, Jr. A DISSERTATION Submitted to Plymouth State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Defended May 16, 2018 Degree Conferred August, 2018 Dissertation of Thomas J. Abrams, Jr. Presented on May 16, 2018 Approved: Dr. Meg Petersen, PhD., Dissertation Committee Chair Dr. Annamary Consalvo, PhD., Dissertation Committee Dr. Elizabeth Kinzly, EdD., Dissertation Committee Dr. Gail Mears, PsyD., Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Services I understand that my dissertation will become part of the permanent collection of Plymouth State University, Lamson Learning Commons. My signature below authorizes release of my dissertation to any reader upon request. Thomas J. Abrams, Jr., Author i Acknowledgments This dissertation could not have been completed without the love and support of my wife and sons. My wife, Ingrid, treated this journey with dedication, patience, and unwavering love. Each morning my sons, TJ and Benjamin, would find their way down into my basement hovel and greet me. My soul craved those moments. My parents have, since day one, supported their often whimsical son. My father’s own love of knowledge and my mother’s passion for life have been my guide, but especially during the last eighteen months. The Magnificent Saath. Like our namesake, our cohort was an unruly bunch of misfits who somehow, as a whole, had an enormous capacity to do great things. The tribulations, text messages, and many laughs sustained me. A+. Three people took a chance on some random guy they had never met, but who showed up one day in an office, a classroom, a conference room, asking for support. Dr. Meg Petersen suffered my constant overwriting, letting me find my way with her steady hand as a guide. She had the wonderful ability to motivate my own writing, by carefully suggesting the way I should go but never pushing. Dr. Annamary Consalvo brought intellectual gravitas. She offered just the right amount of push and support to allow me to feel part of an intellectual community. Dr. Elizabeth Kinzly, a colleague, kept me grounded and focused. Finally, none of this would have been possible without the teachers and students. Horatio, Penny, David, and Bella opened their minds and their hearts to me, and for that I ii will be eternally grateful. The Mount Rural English Department opened their classrooms and gave of their time to help me along the way. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF APPENDICES .................................................................................................. viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................x Abstract ......................................................................................................................... xi-xii Chapter One: Introduction and Statement of the Problem ...................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Defining Motivation .................................................................................................2 Significance of the Problem ................................................................................. 2-6 Expanding the Definition of Writing ................................................................... 6-7 Research Questions .............................................................................................. 7-9 Theoretical Framework ...................................................................................... 9-20 Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory ......................................... 9-19 The individual .......................................................................... 10-11 The microsystem ...................................................................... 12-16 The chronosystem and mesosystem ......................................... 16-17 The exosystem and macrosystem ............................................. 18-19 Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital and habitus ........................... 19-20 Ecological Systems, Habitus, and the Motivation to Write ............................. 21-22 Chapter Two: The Review of Literature ...................................................................... 23-58 Instructor .......................................................................................................... 24-37 Process Writing Instruction and the Motivation to Write ................... 24-26 Presentational mode of writing instruction and the motivation to write ................................................................... 26-27 Natural mode of writing instruction and the motivation to write ..................................................................................... 27-28 Environmental mode of writing instruction and the motivation to write .........................................................................28 Individualized mode of writing instruction and the motivation to write ................................................................... 28-29 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Writing conferences and the motivation to write ..................... 29-31 Promotion of Motivation to Write Through Relationships Formed During Instruction ................................................................................ 31-32 The Development of Self-efficacy During Instruction ........................ 32-33 The Teaching of Self-regulatory Skills and the Motivation to Write ................................................................................................ 33-35 Instructor as Promoter of Interest and Motivation to Write ................. 35-36 Instructor as Promoter of Intrinsic Motivation ..........................................36 Instructor and the Motivation to Write ................................................ 36-37 Task .................................................................................................................. 37-42 Authentic and Useful Tasks and the Motivation to Write ................... 37-40 Task as Meaning-Making .................................................................... 40-41 Task as Tool for Learning and its Effect on the Motivation to Write ................................................................................................ 41-42 Task and the Motivation to Write ..............................................................42 Assessment ....................................................................................................... 42-54 Teacher Feedback and the Motivation to Write ................................... 42-46 Peer Feedback and the Motivation to Write ........................................ 46-47 Assessment, Extrinsic Motivation, and Writing Motivation ............... 47-48 Assessment, Intrinsic Motivation, and Writing Motivation ................. 48-49 Assessment, Self-regulation, and Writing Motivation ......................... 49-50 Assessment, Self-efficacy, and Writing Motivation ............................ 50-52 Relatedness During Assessment and its Effect on Student Motivation to Write .............................................................................. 52-53 Anxiety and Assessment of Writing ...................................................