ERIC Number: EJ688034
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Feb
Pages: 12
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Peer-Assisted Sentence-Combining Instruction on the Writing Performance of More and Less Skilled Young Writers
Saddler, Bruce; Graham, Steve
Journal of Educational Psychology, v97 n1 p43-54 Feb 2005
Mastering sentence-construction skills is essential to learning to write. Limited sentence-construction skills may hinder a writer's ability to translate ideas into text. It may also inhibit or interfere with other composing processes, as developing writers must devote considerable cognitive effort to sentence construction. The authors examined whether instruction designed to improve sentence-construction skills was beneficial for more and less skilled 4th-grade writers. In comparison with peers receiving grammar instruction, students in the experimental treatment condition became more adept at combining simpler sentences into more complex sentences. For the experimental students, the sentence-combining skills produced improved story writing as well as the use of these skills when revising.
Descriptors: Grammar, Sentence Structure, Writing Instruction, Writing (Composition), Grade 4, Grammar, Comparative Analysis, Teaching Methods, Revision (Written Composition)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Grade 4
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations
WWC Study Page: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/study/74410
IES Cited: ED533112