Name:       Susan Brant
Email:      susan.brant@canyons.edu
Phone:      x 3708
Department: English
Class:      Full-Time
Students:   Those in the experimental group at beginning of the process                 36


ResearchQuestion:

I had two research questions:
“Do students who use the Writer’s Memo show more signs of accepting responsibility for their writing process and the product of it—their papers—than students who do not use it?” 
“Do I feel more empathetic toward students who describe their writing difficulties and successes that toward those who do not?”

Summary:

My project took 8 weeks, starting in Week Four when the first paper was due and ending in Week 12 when the final paper was due.  The course I focused on was English 091, a composition course one level below freshman composition.   I used the Writer’s Memo in two sections of the course, a 10 am section and a 5:30 pm section.  The 11 am section was the control group and did not use the Writer’s Memo.

Prior to presenting the Writer’s Memo assignment, my research assistant entered the name of each student in my three English 091 sections on an Empathy Evaluation form (sample attached), then randomized the forms and handed them to me.   I answered the questions for each student, marking 5, 3, or 1.

Next I presented the concept of the “invisible curriculum” and the Writer’s Memo to the students in the 10 am and 5:30 pm sections.   I then asked students to write a memo after they had completed the final draft of each out-of-class paper.  In each memo, they answered the following questions: 
What do you think are the strengths of your paper? 
What do you think are the weaknesses? 
What worked well for you in the process of writing the paper? 
What problems did you have and how did you solve them? 
If you had more time, what would you change? 
What one aspect of your paper would you most like feedback from me on?

At the end of the 8 weeks, I asked my students in the two experimental sections to fill out a Writer’s Memo Feedback form, responding to the following questions:
What effect, if any, did the writer’s memo have on your writing process? 
Did your process change from what it was at the beginning of the semester?
Do you think reflecting on your writing process in the Writer’s Memo had any effect on the success of your papers?

At the end of the semester, I filled out another Empathy Evaluation form for each student in all three sections.  Again, the forms were randomized.

Modifications:

There were no modifications.  However, the number of students participating was fewer than anticipated because of attrition.

Learn:

There was a slight trend toward increased empathy as per the Empathy Evaluation form; however there was not a statistically significant difference.  This may be due to the low concluding N in the experimental and control groups.  An improved Empathy Evaluation form needs to be developed.  The form in its current configuration tends to lend itself to high marks in each of the five areas of empathy.  Rewording and perhaps a different ranking index would likely show greater differences between subjects.  It would be interesting to try this again with a larger N and a revised Empathy Evaluation form.

The feedback from the students on the usefulness of the Writer’s Memo was mostly positive: 

Question #1,“What effect, if any, did the Writer’s Memo have on your writing process?” 
15 students reported that the memo had a positive effect
  5 reported that it had no effect
  4 did not seem to understand the question.  

Question #2, “Did your process change from what it was at the beginning of the semester?” 
22    students had a positive response
  2  students had a negative response.

Question #3,“Do you think reflecting on your writing process in the Writer’s Memo had any effect on the success of your papers?” 
15 students reported that the memo had a positive effect
  7 students reported that it did not have a positive effect
  2 did not seem to understand the question.

If I were to do this research project again, I would revise the Writer’s Memo Feedback form.  I believe that the questions on the form were too vague.  I would ask questions more closely linked to the “7 choices successful students make” referred to in my proposal because they are more directly connected to the “shadow curriculum,” the concept I am working from, and the original research question.  Following are some better questions:

To obtain information about “accepting personal responsibility” for their writing process and the written result, questions might be “What one thing, if any, did you learn by reflecting on the weaknesses in your papers? 

To address “consistently planning and taking effective actions in pursuit of their goals,” questions might be “What is one specific problem that you identified in one of your papers, and what specific action, if any, did you take on a subsequent paper to avoid that problem?”

To address the third area, “maximizing learning by finding lessons in every experience they have,” a question might be “What one thing did you learn about your personal writing process as a result of the Writer’s Memo?  In other words, what about your process works well and what does not work so well?”

The above questions would provide more accurate answers to my original research question.

To help students fill out the feedback forms more effectively, I would ask them to bring their papers and completed Writer’s Memos to class so they would not have to rely on memory.  I believe I can also do a better job of presenting and reinforcing the purpose of the Writer’s Memo so that students have a clearer idea of its long-term benefits.

Although I was disappointed in the specificity of student responses, I was pleased that most students felt that the Writer’s Memo had a positive effect on their writing process and product. I plan to continue to use the Writer’s Memo in all my classes.  I believe the ability to look objectively and analytically at one’s own writing is essential to improving as a writer and as a student.  I also believe that working with the “shadow curriculum” is an important part of my job; it teaches students not only academic skills but essential life skills as well.