THE IMPACT OF PEER WRITING CONFERENCES
Elizabeth A. Bax
ne of the major concerns of educators and
parents alike is the ability for children to read and
write. As children develop their abilities as readers
and writers, they must create a foundation to build
upon these skills. Within society, reading and
writing have become a huge part of everyday life—
without this essential foundation of skills children
will have insufficient knowledge for their future. As
a researcher, educator, and professional, one must
consider the fact that the concept of reading and
writing is constantly changing and how this relates to
the effectiveness of strategies and techniques that are
being used in the classroom today.
The school in which this study was conducted has
not met AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) within
communication arts for the last two years. In order
to find a way to support communication arts in the
school, archival data was examined to determine if
teachers could enhance perceptions toward the use
of reading and writing strategies that will help
students be more aware and develop self-regulated
skills. Through the analysis of several research
studies, as well as classroom observation, many
questions have evolved concerning reading and
writing. The following research questions guided
this study: (a) Did students‘ perceptions change
regarding the use of literacy strategies before and
after participation in student-led peer writing
conferences? (b) Did students‘ perceptions change
regarding feeling abo WBƗFW&7