Interactions in kindergarten writing workshop: Writing development and social development

Date

2014-05

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Abstract

Academic demands for kindergarten students continue to increase. Appropriate instructional methods and social interactions are necessary to meet these demands, which include the need for children to engage in writing. Research studies have indicated writing workshop as an effective instructional method to teach writing. The purpose for this qualitative action research study was to determine how kindergarten student’s writing skills developed through the context of journals as a component of writing workshop. The study also examined student’s perceptions of their writing development. Student awareness is instrumental to further teacher instruction. The six-month study was conducted by examining six kindergarten students’ participation in writing workshop. Four research questions framed the study: (1) How does the use of student journals, within the context of writing workshop, affect kindergarten writing development? (2) How does participation within writing workshop affect kindergarten student’s social development? (3) How do kindergarten students view themselves as writers within an academic year? (4) To what extent do the student reflections of their writing progress align with the teacher’s perception of student progress? Findings suggest that writing workshop is an appropriate instructional method to engage kindergarten students in writing while providing opportunities for social development. The social atmosphere of writing workshop permitted students to develop an understanding of themselves as writers, enhanced the content of their written pieces, enabled students to improve their skills for interacting with their peers, and established networking among peers and between the teacher and students. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of a well implemented writing workshop for academic outcomes as well as social outcomes.


This dissertation won 1st Place in the Texas Tech University Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award, Social Sciences, 2014.

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Keywords

Writing workshop, Social development

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