Writing Instruction in Secondary Chemistry Classrooms

dc.contributor.advisorMountain, Lee
dc.contributor.committeeMemberHutchison, Laveria F.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberLee, Mimi Miyoung
dc.contributor.committeeMemberTurchi, Laura B.
dc.creatorLogan, Kayla D.
dc.creator.orcid0000-0003-1802-1435
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-13T21:45:21Z
dc.date.available2019-09-13T21:45:21Z
dc.date.createdMay 2017
dc.date.issued2017-05
dc.date.submittedMay 2017
dc.date.updated2019-09-13T21:45:22Z
dc.description.abstractLow ELA scores on state-mandated tests prompted efforts to incorporate writing into non-ELA classrooms through campus-wide writing initiatives. These efforts changed teachers’ daily praxes and necessitated research about how teachers collaborate to improve student writing. Three research questions were posed: 1) How do chemistry teachers offer instruction in writing? 2) How do chemistry teachers value writing as an instructional tool? And, 3) How do chemistry teachers assess writing via a rubric? The qualitative case study examined the behaviors and attitudes of three chemistry teachers as they enacted writing instruction for tenth grade chemistry students as part of a writing initiative at a high-needs high school. The researcher, an ELA teacher, collaborated with chemistry teachers for one year, collecting and analyzing data in the forms of meeting transcriptions, interviews, observations, a researcher journal, and artifacts such as writing prompts and drafts of an assessment rubric. The study revealed that chemistry teachers shared concern for students’ writing ability, but they rarely engaged in writing instruction. The collaborative development of writing prompts encouraged teachers to target chemistry learning objectives while the development of a rubric helped teachers to clarify their expectations for student writing and to identify opportunities for writing instruction. Chemistry teachers perceived that the type of writing mandated by campus administration was incompatible with their instructional goals and that more time was needed to incorporate writing into their curriculum, especially into non-advanced courses. The study contributed to a body of research regarding implementation of disciplinary writing strategies by offering an insider’s view of a collaborative writing intervention at a high-needs high school.
dc.description.departmentCurriculum and Instruction, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10657/4550
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectSecondary education
dc.subjectWriting instruction
dc.subjectDisciplinary literacy
dc.subjectContent area literacy
dc.subjectWriting in science
dc.subjectWriting pedagogy
dc.titleWriting Instruction in Secondary Chemistry Classrooms
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Education
thesis.degree.departmentCurriculum and Instruction, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplineCurriculum and Instruction
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy

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