Complete Record: Marello, Cynthia (1999). The Effects of an Integrated Reading and Writing Curriculum On Academic Performance, Motivation, and Retention Rates of Underprepared College Students (Reading, Writing).
Degree: PHD
Institution: University of Maryland College Park
Advisor: Linda B. Gambrell
Source: DAI, 60, no. 04A (1999): p. 0999
Publication Number: AAG9926775
Full Text Available: No
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of integrated instruction in reading and writing in the developmental classroom and to explore other ways in which the reciprocal processes of reading and writing may also affect the underprepared college student. These students often feel alienated in the academic environment and it is imperative that educators provide a curriculum that will not only increase the chance of student success by improving reading and writing skills but also increase motivation and improve retention within the course.
Data were gathered pre- and post-semester from three sources (standardized reading test, writing sample, motivation survey) and post-semester from four sources (attendance records, course evaluations, oral interviews, classroom observations) from a group of 46 participants who received integrated instruction in reading and writing and a group of 42 participants who received non-integrated instruction in reading and writing. During a fifteen-week semester, participants in the integrated group received instruction in reading and writing that emphasized purposeful uses of reading/writing in college, stressed strategic approaches to literacy development rather than isolated skills, and encouraged students to move toward independence and control of their own reading and writing processes. Participants in the non-integrated group received traditional separate instruction in reading and writing during the same semester.
An ANCOVA revealed a statistically significant difference, with the integrated group scoring higher than the non-integrated group on the standardized measure of reading (DRP). In writing, an ANCOVA did not reveal a statistically significant difference on the writing sample; however, further analysis revealed that there was a statistically significant association between performance (passing essays) and the integrated group. Analysis of the motivation survey (MSLQ) revealed statistically significant differences for two of the subscales (extrinsic goal orientation, task value) among participants in the integrated and non-integrated groups. for two of the subscales (self-efficacy for learning, test anxiety) these changes were statistically significant for the integrated group. Analysis revealed that retention of students in the integrated group was statistically significant when compared to that of students in the non-integrated group, and students in the integrated group reported having higher satisfaction with the class.
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