Date of Award

1987

Type

Thesis

Major

Specialist in Education

Degree Type

Specialist Degree in Education

Department

Teacher Education

First Advisor

Dr. James Brewbaker

Second Advisor

Dr. Carolyn Cartledge

Third Advisor

Dr. Anita Whitman

Abstract

This study was a descriptive investigation of the effects of the Individualized Language Arts (ILA) program חס writing apprehension. Subjects were 152 eighth graders enrolled in a middle school. The subjects were from five language arts classes and were taught writing during the 1986-87 school year by the Individualized Language Art's (ILA) program. The data gathering instrument for this study was the Daly-Miller Test of Writing Apprehension (WAT), administered in August, 1986 as a pretest and again in the spring of 1987 as a posttest. Between the pre and posttests, students were instructed by the ILA, a method of teaching writing which involves prescribing and applying individualized instructional techniques. ILA was being used in the subjects' school system for the first time. Responses. on the pre and posttests of the WAT were converted into percentages and compared in order to describe student attitudes toward writing before and after ILA instruction. The results revealed both positive and negative effects of the ILA on writing apprehension. Overall, a slight increase in writing apprehension was revealed from pre to posttest. Anxiety about writing in the classroom appeared to increase. However, student response indicated a slight decrease in apprehension about writing in general and in apprehension about evaluation of writing.

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