that the journals helped them organize their thoughts
when solving more difficult problems, while those
responding unfavorably cited increased confusion
when trying to explain an unclear concept as the
primary reason for their response.
Because some research suggests that gender plays
a role in student motivation and achievement (Bevan
2001; Council for Exceptional Children, 2011),
differences in student perceptions of certain strategies
may be expected to differ as well. However, the only
writing strategy for which there was a noteworthy
difference (20% or more) in percentage between
boys‘ and girls‘ responses was math autobiographies,
to which 36% more girls than boys responded
favorably. Consistent with the research supporting
the theory that girls te