Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

Consistency of effects on relevant out-

comes. The studies related to this recom-

mendation showed consistent positive effects 

in overall writing quality and other domains 

relevant to writing skills and process. Six 

studies found positive effects on outcomes 

in the overall writing quality domain.

110

 One 

study found an indeterminate effect on an 

outcome in the overall writing quality domain, 

but the comparison group in this study 

received instruction related to Recommenda-

tion 2.

111

 This study also found a positive 

effect on an outcome in the writing process 

domain. Three other studies found positive 

effects in the genre elements domain,

112

 one 

found positive effects in the word choice 

domain,

113

 and one found positive effects in 

the organization domain.

114

 No negative or 

indeterminate effects were found in these 

domains. The only study that examined a 

measure in the sentence structure domain 

found an indeterminate effect,

115

 and the only 

study that examined measures in the audi-

ence domain found an indeterminate effect.

116

Four studies also examined outcomes in 

another outcome domain, writing output, 

which is less related to writing quality. 

Findings in this outcome domain were also 

largely positive (three studies found posi-

tive effects in the writing output domain

117

), 

but one study found a negative effect in 

this domain.

118

 The study authors noted 

that students in the intervention group had 

shorter essays because their texts became 

more organized, and they eliminated unneces-

sary text while still including all necessary 

components. The panel believes that word 

count was not an important outcome in this 

study, as the students’ essays included the 

necessary elements—indicated by the positive 

effects in the genre elements domain—but 

did so more concisely.