Elementary Teachers of Writing: Paths, Passions, and Practices

<p>This mixed-methods study examined the personal and professional experiences of early elementary teachers related to writing, seeking relationships between their experiences and instructional practices. Data included a survey of 61 kindergarten, first, and second-grade teachers and two focus group interviews in a large urban district in the Midwest. Three major themes emerged from the data concerning the writing instructional practices: (a) the importance of peer collaboration on instructional practices and professional learning, (b) the consistent use of a common writing curriculum, and (c) the application of a Writer’s Workshop approach. The findings suggest that because writing is not a consistent instructional focus in schools across the United States, teachers may need to use their autonomy to make it a priority in their classrooms. To do this, they will need strong curricular materials providing embedded professional learning to facilitate the much needed shift in instructional emphasis toward increased writing instruction.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Public Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Reading and Language

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Huftalin, Amy

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ruth Quiroa
• Jan Perney
• Sophie Degner

• writing instruction
• teacher attitudes
• primary grades teaching
• writing curriculum
• peer collaboration
• primary writing
• writer's workshop
• teacher survey
• focus group
• Elementary Education

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/306

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-1312