The impact of a scaffolded writing programme on the narrative writing of Year 5 and Year 6 students

Abstract

The current status of writing in New Zealand suggests that disparities of achievement exist amongst gender, ethnic groups, and students in schools of different decile ratings. This situation necessitates an instructional methodology that addresses the diversity of student need within an inclusionary paradigm. This study investigated the effects of a scaffolded strategy based programme (SWID) on the quality of narrative writing of 18 Year 5 and Year 6 students in a small rural South Island school. The study used a multiple baseline design. Improvements in the quality of students' writing following a 5 week programme were statistically significant. Results indicated that the development of an explicit and operational knowledge of a narrative text structure and the construction of a common language provided students with a vehicle for improving their own and their peers' writing. This study demonstrated the teacher's role as a dialectic facilitator in empowering students with strategic knowledge and higher level thinking in writing. Further, this study adds to the research on peer - mediated learning thereby offering both teachers and Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour an opportunity to explore peer structures necessary to enhance the learning of all students in the class.