Presents results of a study on the effects of topic selection on holistic scoring, which supported the idea that topic effects are reflected in student writing and influence student scores. (JC)

Describes a study in which twenty first grade students wrote daily in journals, which were then analyzed at the end of the school year. (JC)

The writing of five first grade children was studied to determine whether findings of a previous study regarding children's concept of story structure would be demonstrated in the children's original compositions. The weekly sessions during the study included individual or group prewriting discussions, drawing and active writing, modeling by the…

A study was conducted to examine writing development in first grade children. The writings from an entire classroom were collected. From these, six children's writings were chosen for cross-sectional analysis. Two children from this group were then selected for further in-depth case studies. Interviews, parent surveys, and observations were used…