Essay-Writing Strategy for Students Enrolled in a Postsecondary Program for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities.

ANALYSIS of covariance; ANALYSIS of variance; COLLEGE students; DEVELOPMENTAL disabilities; STUDENTS with disabilities; LEARNING strategies; RESEARCH funding; WRITING; RANDOMIZED controlled trials; PRE-tests & post-tests; CONTROL groups; INTER-observer reliability; DESCRIPTIVE statistics

This study investigated the efficacy of a writing (ANSWER) strategy to improve the essay test responses of students who were enrolled in a campus-based, postsecondary education program for individuals with developmental disabilities. Random assignment to treatment or control groups and a pre- and posttest design were employed. Students used the six-step ANSWER strategy to analyze essay test prompts, construct outlines, generate essay responses, and revise as needed. The results were evaluated using a strategy scoring rubric. The treatment group received higher scores than the control group in the areas of strategy use and quality of essay responses. The results support the ANSWER strategy as an effective writing intervention for improving students’ essay responses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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