Process and Product: A Review of the Research on LD Children's Writing Skills

In the last decade we have witnessed a renewed interest in writing research and instruction in both regular and special education. Although regular education researchers have moved away from a product focus, instead examining the writing process, many contend that special education research has continued to focus on product errors while neglecting the processes involved in composition and spelling. This article contains a review of the writing research literature published during the last five years. Both composition and transcription studies conducted with elementary-aged LD subjects were examined. Conclusions of the studies as well as their implications for writing instruction and research are discussed.

[1]  Virginia L. Fortner Generalization of Creative Productive-Thinking Training to LD Students' Written Expression , 1986 .

[2]  Carol Sue Englert,et al.  An Analysis of Errors and Strategies in the Expository Writing of Learning Disabled Students , 1987 .

[3]  S. Graham,et al.  Improving Learning Disabled Students' Composition Skills: Self-Control Strategy Training , 1985 .

[4]  Barbara F. Nodine,et al.  Children's Ability to Write Stories as a Function of Variation in Task, Age, and Developmental Level , 1987 .

[5]  George Hillocks,et al.  Research on Written Composition: New Directions for Teaching. , 1986 .

[6]  Frank Smith,et al.  Writing and the writer , 1982 .

[7]  Donald H. Graves Writing Teachers and Children At Work , 1983 .

[8]  B. Nodine,et al.  Comparison of the Story Production of LD, Normal-Achieving, and Low-Achieving Children under Two Modes of Production , 1988 .

[9]  Barbara F. Nodine,et al.  Story Composition by Learning Disabled, Reading Disabled, and Normal Children , 1985 .

[10]  M. Poplin Summary Rationalizations, Apologies and Farewell: What We Don't Know about the Learning Disabled , 1984 .

[11]  Alan R. Frank Effectiveness of a spelling study package for learning disabled students. , 1987 .

[12]  Charles A. MacArthur,et al.  Learning Disabled Students' Composing Under Three Methods of Text Production , 1987 .

[13]  S. Graham,et al.  CONDITIONS: EFFECTS ON LD STUDENTS' SPELLING PERFORMANCE , 2007 .

[14]  M. Gerber Generalization of Spelling Strategies by LD Students as a Result of Contingent Imitation/Modeling and Mastery Criteria , 1986, Journal of learning disabilities.

[15]  J. Lloyd,et al.  Effects of a Self-Instructional Procedure on Handwriting , 1987, Journal of learning disabilities.

[16]  T. S. Hasselbring,et al.  Consistency of Learning Disabled Students' Spelling Performance , 1986 .

[17]  D. Meichenbaum Cognitive-Behavior Modification , 1977 .

[18]  Carol Sue Englert,et al.  Sensitivity to Text Structure in Reading and Writing: A Comparison Between Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students , 1987 .

[19]  Richard Gray,et al.  A Comparison of Components of Written Expression Abilities in Learning Disabled and Non-Learning Disabled Students at Three Grade Levels , 1980 .

[20]  Carol Sue Englert,et al.  Students' Metacognitive Knowledge about How to Write Informational Texts , 1988 .

[21]  Linda Flower,et al.  The Dynamics of Composing : Making Plans and Juggling Constraints , 1980 .

[22]  P. Mosenthal Three Approaches to Progress: Understanding the Writing of Exceptional Children , 1988, Exceptional children.

[23]  D. Meichenbaum Cognitive-Behavior Modification: An Integrative Approach , 1977 .

[24]  J. W. Schuster,et al.  Effects of a Constant Time Delay Procedure on the Written Spelling Performance of a Learning Disabled Student , 1987 .

[25]  M. Gerber,et al.  Improving Spelling Performance By Imitating A Child's Errors , 1984, Journal of learning disabilities.

[26]  B. Nodine,et al.  Teaching Writing to Exceptional Children: Reaction and Recommendations , 1988, Exceptional children.

[27]  Leanne B. Kerchner,et al.  Language Processing/Word Processing: Written Expression, Computers and Learning Disabled Students , 1984 .

[28]  Peter B. Mosenthal,et al.  Defining Classroom Writing Competence: A Paradigmatic Perspective , 1983 .