A SURVEY OF WRITING INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY LANGUAGE ARTS CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was (1) to determine to what extent children, in a large southern state, are given opportunities to engage in process writing, and (2) to determine whether teachers have incorporated activities and strategies supported by current research findings on process writing into their language arts programs. A survey of teachers in randomly selected counties was conducted to determine and analyze the following information: 1. sources of content and instructional materials used in the language arts curriculum.

2. organizational patterns used in language arts instruction.

3. time spent in various types of writing.

4. time spent in each of the stages of process writing.

Data collected from the surveys indicated a textbook orientation to language instruction, small amounts of time spent in prewriting or writing activities, and a preference for teacher-controlled writing processes, such as teacher selection of writing topics and teacher editing of student writing. Factors that mitigate for or against the change process and models for teacher inservice that facilitate new instructional practices are discussed.     

Interpersonal feedback in everyday life: Empirical studies in Germany and the United States

The present research examines occurrences of interpersonal feedback in everyday life. Drawing upon retrospective self-reports from three student samples in Germany and the US, we investigate why, how, and with what effect such feedback is shared. We found that feedback was common, occurring mostly within stable interpersonal relationships, and that positive feedback was reported to occur more often than negative feedback. Positive and negative feedback was provided to achieve different goals (acknowledgement vs. behavioral change), and feedback senders perceived negative feedback as less successful than positive feedback. Negative feedback was withheld primarily when potential senders perceived it as futile or potentially dangerous to their relationship with the recipient. However, negative feedback that was shared was not seen as particularly harmful in that regard. We discuss potential barriers to feedback effectiveness, whether and how the exchange of interpersonal feedback in everyday life may be promoted, and give recommendations for future research.