In an effort to discern how writing is being taught in schools today, Purcell, Buchanan, and Friedrich (2013) surveyed Advanced Placement (AP) teachers and National Writing Project (NWP) teachers from the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The survey revealed: 92% say the incorporation of writing assignments in formal learning is essential; 7% say it is important, but not essential; and 11 teachers out of more than the 2,000 surveyed described the incorporation of writing assignments into formal learning as only somewhat important or not important (p.19). Additionally, 46% of the teachers surveyed reported that the digital writing “tools available to students today make students more likely to write too fast and be careless and more likely to use poor spelling and grammar” (p. 32).
Just as teachers realize the importance of writing, so do teens. In the Parent & Teen Survey on Writing sponsored by the Pew Internet and American Life Project (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Macgill, 2008), it was apparent that “teens [12 to 17 year olds] understand that their ability to write effectively will have an impact on their future prospects … 98% agree that writing is at least somewhat important for their future success” (p. 42). So if these teens realize the importance of learning to write well, what
diminishes their desire to do so?
The teens interviewed for this survey offered ideas as to what motivates them to write. They volunteered the following:
- enjoying the sense of satisfaction from completing a challenging project
- being allowed to self-select topics and assignments making their mandatory writing more enjoyable and compelling
- relating assignments specifically to them and their interests
- having writing publicly shared in class, in person, in print, or on the Internet, therefore allowing a broader impact, but most importantly,
- it is having people – teachers, parents, friends – that teens credit with being their single most important motivator. (Lenhart, Arafeh, Smith, & Macgill, 2008, p. 57-58)
As educators, it is important for us to listen to these teens if we want to encourage them to write more, write consistently, and improve their writing. As Oldenburg (2006) stated, “We [professors] ought to recognize the injustice of allowing students to continue making basic mechanical errors that may prevent them from expressing themselves well in written assignments … or getting the job they want when they graduate” (p.43).
The National Assessment of
Educational Progress is charged
with informing the public about
the academic achievement of
elementary and secondary students
in the United States in various subjects; one of those subjects is writing, which is subsumed in the English portion of the ACT.
Achievement levels are performance stan-dards showing what students should know and be able to do. NAEP results are reported as percentages of students performing at the Basic, Proficient, and Advanced levels. Basic denotes partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at each grade. Proficient represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter. Advanced represents superior performance. (NCES, 2012, p. 7)
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"As educators, it is important for us to listen to these teens if we want to encourage them to write more, write consistently, and improve their writing."