The effects of strategy-based writing instruction in Singapore primary schools

This study reports on a longitudinal intervention study of writing strategies in Singapore primary schools. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of writing strategy instruction on Singapore primary school students' writing competence. Nine writing strategy-based lessons were taught to 442 primary five students. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed to complement the possible inadequacy of either analytical method and for the purpose of data triangulation. The findings show that the intervention achieved a significant treatment effect on both the participants' writing competence and their strategy use, namely, text-generating, feedback handling, and revising. The qualitative analyses also suggest the experimental students orchestrated their strategy use better than before.