What is the research evidence on writing? - Department for Education

mentoring; using older pupils as male role models; focusing on <strong>the</strong> learning
nature of schools.
Effective teaching from teachers who have confidence in <strong>the</strong>ir abilities and
have high expectations from boys.
A focus on key approaches inherent in <strong>the</strong> teaching of writing such as explicit
teaching of language; topic selection in narrative writing; planning writing
using mnemonics; effective use of drafting and writing frames.
Literacy-specific activities such as appropriate use of oral work; poetry; use of
emotionally powerful texts.
Effective use of v<strong>is</strong>ual media and ICT facilities.
<strong>What</strong> <strong>is</strong> <strong>the</strong> role of new technology in pupils’ writing habits?
The ex<strong>is</strong>ting <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that usage of text abbreviations (text<strong>is</strong>ms) <strong>is</strong>
positively associated with word reading ability; <strong>evidence</strong> from <strong>the</strong> same study found
no <strong>evidence</strong> of a detrimental effect of text<strong>is</strong>ms exposure on conventional spelling
(Plester et al, 2009).
International <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that even though teenagers engage in technologybased
writing, <strong>the</strong>y do not think of it as ‘writing’. Some of <strong>the</strong>m admitted using
technology-based features such as text shortcuts into <strong>the</strong>ir school assignments (Pew
Internet, 2008).
<strong>What</strong> are pupils’ attitudes toward writing, including enjoyment and confidence?
The <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that overall a large proportion of pupils enjoy writing, and
<strong>the</strong>se findings broadly mirror <strong>the</strong> ones about reading (Clark and Dugdale, 2009;
Clark, 2012).
- Pupils enjoy writing for family and friends more than for schoolwork (Clark
and Dugdale, 2009).
- As with reading, <strong>the</strong> <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that enjoyment of writing <strong>is</strong> related to
attainment (Clark, 2012).
In relation to confidence in writing ability, <strong>the</strong> <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that approximately
half of pupils think that <strong>the</strong>y are average writers (Clark, 2012). In addition:
- Girls and older pupils are more likely to consider <strong>the</strong>mselves as good writers
in compar<strong>is</strong>on to boys and younger pupils respectively (Clark, 2012).
- Blog owners and pupils using a social networking site reported to be
significantly better writers compared to pupils who don’t use blogs or social
networking sites (Clark and Dugdale, 2009).
Finally, <strong>the</strong> <strong>evidence</strong> suggests that overall, pupils have positive attitudes to writing
(Clark, 2012).
- A quarter of pupils thought that writing <strong>is</strong> cool and three quarters that it
improves with practice (Clark, 2012).
- Girls are more likely than boys to say that <strong>the</strong> more <strong>the</strong>y write, <strong>the</strong> better
<strong>the</strong>y get (Clark and Douglas, 2011).
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