Improving narrative writing skills through observational learning: a study of Swedish 5th-grade students

Abstract

Observational learning is a successful method for improving writing skills in various genres. We explore effects of a five lesson intervention series based on peer observation. Fifty-five Swedish 5th-grade students aged 10-12 years followed this intervention programme. The students watched short film clips with peers working with texts. Each lesson was organised according to a theme: reader's perception of the text, ordering of events, how to begin a story, how to end a story and how to edit a text. The students wrote four texts during the intervention. The quality of these texts was assessed by a panel of trained raters. Additionally, the language and reading comprehension and working memory capacity were tested. The results show that average text quality had significantly improved at the end of the intervention, and that this improvement was modulated by reading and language comprehension. Three months later, however, text quality was significantly decreased.

Predictors of narrative text quality in students with hearing loss

“…working memory capacity, language comprehension, and reading comprehension) were assessed, and data on audiological factors were collected. The present study is part of a comprehensive study in which students with NH and students with HL followed the same writing intervention [36].…”

“…The students' writing performance was assessed four times: one week before and one week after the writing intervention (see below), after another six weeks, and once more after the summer vacation five months later. The same time intervals between the first three texts were also used by Grenner et al [36]. The topics of the four texts were, respectively: 1) Write about a time when you were saved from a jam, or when you saved someone else from a jam; 2) Write about a time when you were hurt; 3) Write about a time when you were afraid; 4) Write about a time when you made somebody happy.…”

“…strategy instruction, teacher-student dialogue, and teaching language skills and metalinguistic awareness) improves writing in students with HL [31,32]. One intervention method which includes some of these elements and that others found effective for improving writing [20] is observational learning, which has been found to boost writing in students with NH [33][34][35][36][37].…”

Direct Writing Activity: A Strategy in Expanding Narrative Writing Skills for Elementary Schools

“…Therefore, many opinions say that writing skills can be improved by improving the narrative text writing skills [9]- [11]. Narrative text is defined as a type of text that aims to tell an event to entertain the reader and has moral values in the story [12], [13]. The hallmark of narrative texts is that they have a structured organizational structure including orientation, complications, and resolution [14].…”

“…Several studies have shown that the use of learning strategies or methods is the most influential factor. Grenner's research shows that the use of observation method can improve students' skills in writing primary school class narratives in Sweden [13]. However, according to Slamet, the use of teaching material also has a big influence because it can provide support in writing process.…”