Knowing how to write well has been linked to college and career success and learning to write well is reliant on the effectiveness of highly prepared teachers of writing. However, secondary ELA (English Language Arts) teachers of writing report that they were not prepared to teach writing in their pre-service teacher preparation programs or in-service professional development. Based on personal experience, such educators engage in their own professional learning in the teaching of writing to meet their students’ needs (grades 9-12). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to identify the professional learning choices made by in-service secondary ELA teachers to grow as teachers of writing and the rationales that guide these choices. Phase 1 of the study was an online survey (quantitative data) followed by Phase 2 consisting of focus group interviews (qualitative data) that drew participants from survey respondents. Analysis of survey data revealed a wealth of information including teachers’ beliefs on writing, writing instruction, teacher preparation, and professional learning sources. Subsequent analysis of focus group data expanded on the survey findings as participants expressed strong feelings about their students as writers, writing practices, and their professional learning. This data also established several important themes, namely, the collaborative nature of writing, teacher self-reflection, writing instruction, and professional learning. Implications for future research, policymakers, and practice are discussed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Knowing how to write well has been linked to college and career success and learning to write well is reliant on the effectiveness of highly prepared teachers of writing. However, secondary ELA (English Language Arts) teachers of writing report that they were not prepared to teach writing in their pre-service teacher preparation programs or in-service professional development. Based on personal experience, such educators engage in their own professional learning in the teaching of writing to meet their students’ needs (grades 9-12). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to identify the professional learning choices made by in-service secondary ELA teachers to grow as teachers of writing and the rationales that guide these choices. Phase 1 of the study was an online survey (quantitative data) followed by Phase 2 consisting of focus group interviews (qualitative data) that drew participants from survey respondents. Analysis of survey data revealed a wealth of information including teachers’ beliefs on writing, writing instruction, teacher preparation, and professional learning sources. Subsequent analysis of focus group data expanded on the survey findings as participants expressed strong feelings about their students as writers, writing practices, and their professional learning. This data also established several important themes, namely, the collaborative nature of writing, teacher self-reflection, writing instruction, and professional learning. Implications for future research, policymakers, and practice are discussed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Vera, Alma M"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Reading and Language","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Ruth Quiroa (Co-chair)","Dr. Angela Elkordy (Co-chair)","Dr. Ryan McCarty (Dean's Representative)"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-02-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-02-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z","subjects":["Writing","pre-service teacher preparation","in-service teacher development","professional learning","professional development","secondary ELA","teachers of writing","secondary English Language Arts","self-efficacy","mixed methods","Education","Language and Literacy Education","Secondary Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/634","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Ruth Quiroa (Co-chair)","Dr. Angela Elkordy (Co-chair)","Dr. Ryan McCarty (Dean's Representative)"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Vera, Alma M"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-03-30T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Reading and Language"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Writing","pre-service teacher preparation","in-service teacher development","professional learning","professional development","secondary ELA","teachers of writing","secondary English Language Arts","self-efficacy","mixed methods","Education","Language and Literacy Education","Secondary Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/634"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Knowing how to write well has been linked to college and career success and learning to write well is reliant on the effectiveness of highly prepared teachers of writing. However, secondary ELA (English Language Arts) teachers of writing report that they were not prepared to teach writing in their pre-service teacher preparation programs or in-service professional development. Based on personal experience, such educators engage in their own professional learning in the teaching of writing to meet their students’ needs (grades 9-12). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to identify the professional learning choices made by in-service secondary ELA teachers to grow as teachers of writing and the rationales that guide these choices. Phase 1 of the study was an online survey (quantitative data) followed by Phase 2 consisting of focus group interviews (qualitative data) that drew participants from survey respondents. Analysis of survey data revealed a wealth of information including teachers’ beliefs on writing, writing instruction, teacher preparation, and professional learning sources. Subsequent analysis of focus group data expanded on the survey findings as participants expressed strong feelings about their students as writers, writing practices, and their professional learning. This data also established several important themes, namely, the collaborative nature of writing, teacher self-reflection, writing instruction, and professional learning. Implications for future research, policymakers, and practice are discussed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["FIGURING IT OUT: THE SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-EMPOWERMENT OF SECONDARY ELA (ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS) TEACHERS OF WRITING"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Ruth Quiroa (Co-chair)","Dr. Angela Elkordy (Co-chair)","Dr. Ryan McCarty (Dean's Representative)"],"dc:creator":["Vera, Alma M"],"dc:date.available":["2022-03-30T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Knowing how to write well has been linked to college and career success and learning to write well is reliant on the effectiveness of highly prepared teachers of writing. However, secondary ELA (English Language Arts) teachers of writing report that they were not prepared to teach writing in their pre-service teacher preparation programs or in-service professional development. Based on personal experience, such educators engage in their own professional learning in the teaching of writing to meet their students’ needs (grades 9-12). This explanatory sequential mixed methods study sought to identify the professional learning choices made by in-service secondary ELA teachers to grow as teachers of writing and the rationales that guide these choices. Phase 1 of the study was an online survey (quantitative data) followed by Phase 2 consisting of focus group interviews (qualitative data) that drew participants from survey respondents. Analysis of survey data revealed a wealth of information including teachers’ beliefs on writing, writing instruction, teacher preparation, and professional learning sources. Subsequent analysis of focus group data expanded on the survey findings as participants expressed strong feelings about their students as writers, writing practices, and their professional learning. This data also established several important themes, namely, the collaborative nature of writing, teacher self-reflection, writing instruction, and professional learning. Implications for future research, policymakers, and practice are discussed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/634"],"dc:subject":["Writing","pre-service teacher preparation","in-service teacher development","professional learning","professional development","secondary ELA","teachers of writing","secondary English Language Arts","self-efficacy","mixed methods","Education","Language and Literacy Education","Secondary Education"],"dc:title":["FIGURING IT OUT: THE SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-EMPOWERMENT OF SECONDARY ELA (ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS) TEACHERS OF WRITING"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Reading and Language"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:05Z"}