This thesis is focused on mapping written expression among pupils at the fifth grade of basic schools. The thesis is divided into two parts - the theoretical part and the empirical part. The theoretical part of the thesis is devoted to the theoretical knowledge available about written expression and about disorder of written expression. Attention is paid here to the diagnosis of written expression and to the analysis of the available diagnostic tools that deal with testing of written expression. In the empirical part of the thesis, we are primarily focused on designing the test of written expression and its evaluation system. Our next goal was to verify the predictive value of the designed test of written expression on fifth grade pupils and to compare pupils' performance among themselves. Secondary goal of the thesis is to compare the results of the test by a statistical quantitative methodology and to subsequently discuss them in terms of gender, font pattern (Comenia Script font and bound font pattern) and the presence or absence of specific learning disorders. The partial goal is to verify the correlation of the results of the designed test. Data collection was conducted by a group administration. A total of six basic schools took part in research studies of the written expression. We have...

The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals.

The role of gender, handwriting automaticity, reading proficiency, and verbal working memory in grade 4 and 5 students‟ (N = 42; 23 boys) performance on a curriculum-based measure of narrative writing was examined. Three outcomes were measured: total words written, correct minus incorrect word sequences (accurate production of spelling and grammar in-text), and composition quality. Gender (girls > boys) and handwriting automaticity were significant predictors of total words written, and gender (girls > boys), reading proficiency, and grade (5 > 4) significantly predicted correct minus incorrect word sequences scores. Total words written was the only significant predictor of composition quality. The results suggest that reading proficiency and handwriting automaticity should be assessed alongside written expression in order to identify children at risk for writing difficulties and to inform instructional recommendations for these individuals.

This study examined written expression skills in children with attention problems with and without word reading difficulties. The sample consisted of 28 children with attention problems (AP) only, 18 children with coexisting attention and reading problems (ARP), and 34 children without attention or word reading difficulties (TYP). Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) indices of accuracy and fluency, plus teacher ratings of handwriting, spelling, and overall writing skills were used to assess children’s written expression skills. The analyses indicated that the AP and ARP groups received significantly lower scores on all measures of written expression than the TYP group. The ARP group scored significantly lower than the AP group on the teacher ratings of writing and spelling. These findings suggest that inattention is significantly related to written expression difficulties independent of word-reading skills.

This study examined written expression skills in children with attention problems with and without word reading difficulties. The sample consisted of 28 children with attention problems (AP) only, 18 children with coexisting attention and reading problems (ARP), and 34 children without attention or word reading difficulties (TYP). Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) indices of accuracy and fluency, plus teacher ratings of handwriting, spelling, and overall writing skills were used to assess children’s written expression skills. The analyses indicated that the AP and ARP groups received significantly lower scores on all measures of written expression than the TYP group. The ARP group scored significantly lower than the AP group on the teacher ratings of writing and spelling. These findings suggest that inattention is significantly related to written expression difficulties independent of word-reading skills.

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abstract: National assessment data indicate that the large majority of students in America perform below expected proficiency levels in the area of writing. Given the importance of writing skills, this is a significant problem. Curriculum-based measurement, when used for progress monitoring and intervention planning, has been shown to lead to improved academic achievement. However, researchers have not yet been able to establish the validity of curriculum-based measures of writing (CBM-W). This study examined the structural validity of CBM-W using exploratory factor analysis. The participants for this study were 253 third, 154 seventh, and 154 tenth grade students. Each participant completed a 3-minute writing sample in response to a narrative prompt. The writing samples were scored for fifteen different CBM-W indices. Separate analyses were conducted for each grade level to examine differences in the CBM-W construct across grade levels. Due to extreme multicollinearity, principal components analysis rather than common factor analysis was used to examine the structure of writing as measured by CBM-W indices. The overall structure of CBM-W indices was found to remain stable across grade levels. In all cases a three-component solution was supported, with the components being labeled production, accuracy, and sentence complexity. Limitations of the study and implications for progress monitoring with CBM-W are discussed, including the recommendation for a combination of variables that may provide more reliable and valid measurement of the writing construct. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2012

ABSTRACT We know that many students with learning disabilities struggle throughout their school years with the writing process. High school is no exception. Writing is a life skill that can directly impact the quality of life for older students preparing to graduate and progress to college, a career, or simply the world of work. A need in society exists to improve the writing of all students including those who are on the threshold of high school graduation. Students with learning disabilities enter their ninth year of school with a performance gap of 4 to 5 years placing their equivalent learning in the late elementary years. Few studies however have investigated the impact of explicit written expression strategy instruction for students with mild disabilities in high school. Thus, expanding the knowledge base for this group of students becomes especially critical. The present study examines the effects of explicitly teaching a writing strategy to high school students with learning disabilities. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to observe changes in student writing. A total of 11 students in three subject groups participated in the study. Eleventh grade students in three learning strategies classes were pretested to determine the level of their organizational skills for written products. Scoring criteria were described to students using a written expression rubric to provide them with the specific expectations for their daily writing. Mind-mapping, an organizational strategy for writing, was explicitly taught to each of three classes during their daily learning strategy period. Data were collected relative to the students' rubric scores and visually inspected for changes in writing performance before, during, and following the strategy instruction. Pre- and post-tests were administered to the student groups. Following data collection and the post-test, interviews were conducted with the teacher and each of the participants. Findings indicate that the mind-mapping intervention had limited success in improving students' written products when measured by the multiple baseline across subjects design. Pre- and post-test data, however, show that writing quality certainly did improve. The participants' teacher specifically noted during her interview that, in her perception, improvements in student writing as a result of using the mind-mapping strategy did occur. The teacher also felt strongly enough about the efficacy of the mind-mapping intervention that she plans to teach the strategy to her future students. Most of the students reported during their interviews that they felt that learning mind-mapping helped them to become better writers. The vast majority of students also stated that they planned to use the strategy for tests and writing assignments.

This project appears to be the first to determine growth rates for writing using Curriculum-Based Measurement-Written Expression (CBM-WE). Growth rates, or the amount of change over time, help educators track how much progress can be expected given typical instruction. CBM-WE probes were administered to a sample of 1,004 students in first through fifth grades within a school district. The writing probes were scored using production-dependent variables: Total Words Written (TWW), Words Spelled Correctly (WSC), and Correct Word Sequence (CWS). Data were analyzed by grade level and gender. Results are presented as weekly growth rates. Growth rates were calculated from fall to winter, winter to spring, and from fall to spring. This study found higher growth rates in the lower grades and the lowest growth rates in fifth grade. Negative growth was found when examining winter to spring scores for students in third through fifth grades. Girls typically showed more improvement than boys. Results will be beneficial for educators to understand and monitor elementary student progress in written expression.