26th Annual Student Research Conference
Using Letters as a Response to Writing Tool
Megan A. Wilson♦
Dr. Barbara Price, Faculty Mentor
This project evaluates letter writing as a student-friendly tool when responding to peer writing in the classroom. It tests the research question, "How does peer response to student writing offered through a friendly letter improve revision?" Approximately forty 12th grade students in a rural northeast Missouri high school participated in this research and provided writing samples, including assignments in which students used a letter during the revision process and others in which they instead used some other revision method (for example, writing comments on their peers papers or using a revision question and answer form). Those samples were evaluated to determine whether response-based letter writing improves peer writing. Evidence of improvement in student writing included more extensive revision, the addition of new materials in response to peer questions, and/or revision of content as opposed to simple changes in grammar, mechanics, or spelling.
Keywords: English education, secondary level, writing, peer response
Topic(s):Education
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 306-7
Location: MG 2090
Time: 3:00