Karen R. Harris

Arizona State University | ASU · Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College

This study examined the factorial and construct validity of a multi-dimensional measure of motives for writing with middle school students. The Writing Motivation Questionnaire included 28 items assessing seven motives for writing. Two motives assessed intrinsic reasons for writing (curiosity, involvement); three motives addressed extrinsic reasons...

This randomized controlled trial with first- and second-grade students is the first experimental study addressing long-running disagreements about whether primary grade students should develop transcription and oral language abilities before learning to compose. It is also the first study at these grade levels to teach close reading (using science...

The ability to write is fundamental for learning and achievement across Grades K-12, performance in the workplace, continuing education, college, personal development, and addressing social justice. The majority of our students, however, are not capable writers. We have a body of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and best practices that can make a me...

This chapter reviews validated SRSD instruction for close reading to learn and to write, across multiple genres and writing objectives.

A review of research on professional development with teachers for SRSD, CSRI, and Tekster

This study evaluated the validity of a multi-dimensional measure of motives for writing. Based on an earlier instrument and theoretical conceptualisations of writing beliefs, we developed the Writing Motivation Questionnaire (WMQ). A sample of 2,186 fourth- (558 girls; 521 boys) and fifth-grade students (546 girls; 561 boys) completed 28 writing mo...

A central goal of upper elementary schools is improving students’ skills to write persuasively using source materials. This study focused on three important areas of writing at the upper elementary grade levels. First, the web-based intelligent tutoring system for the text structure strategy (ITSS) was used to teach children how to read source mate...

Something is going terribly wrong with writing instruction in many of our schools. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that only 27% of eighth-and twelfth-grade students scored at or above proficient in writing. Only 6% of underserved students and students with disabilities performed at or above the proficient level. Bu...

For decades, adoption of writing instruction methods has been driven by “Pied Pipers,” engaging speakers and writers with a method to sell and promote, but without the research needed to back their claims regarding that actual method. For example, evidence is lacking for weeks of isolated instruction in writing skills, such as spelling or sentence...

Dr. Karen R. Harris....a self-described "theory junkie," has dedicated her career to developing a multicomponent, multi-characteristic instructional model based on theoretical and empirical integration of effective, diverse, validated approaches to complex teaching and learning. This instructional model is known as Self-Regulated Strategy Developme...

This study examined the impact of content revising goals on the revising behavior and story writing performance of fourth grade students at-risk for writing difficulties. Twenty-two students (11 boys, 11 girls) were randomly assigned to either a content revising or general revising goal condition. In the content revising goal condition, students re...

In this article I reflect on this special issue of LDRP entitled Using Self-Regulated Strategy Development to Support Students with and At-risk for Learning Disabilities Across the Content Areas. The Editor of LDRP, Dr. Linda Mason, and the Editors of this special issue - Drs. Robin Parks Ennis, Erin FitzPatrick, Debra McKeown, and Sara Sanders - m...

The foundational discussion for what became SRSD regarding integration across theories to develop more powerful instruction.

The purpose of this study was to examine the writing performance and motivational beliefs of students who were identified by their school district as English language learners. The study included 880 students (463 girls; 417 boys) in grades three to eight who wrote an informative/explanatory essay on information technology and completed a motivatio...

In this meta-analysis, we examined whether children identified with reading difficulties (RD) evidence writing difficulties. We included studies comparing children with RD with (a) typically developing peers matched on age (k = 87 studies) and (b) typically developing younger peers with similar reading capabilities (k = 24 studies). Children identi...

This chapter makes the case that strategic processing is an integral part of the writing process. Since writing is complex and multifaceted, these strategies are necessary to guide the writer within the context of writing communities. The role of strategies is overviewed in light of other important factors (e.g., declarative knowledge), and interve...

A core tenet of the model of domain learning is that learning is shaped by cognitive and motivational forces. In writing, these catalysts include learners’ knowledge, motivation, strategic behaviors, and skills. This study tested this proposition at two time points (Fall and Spring) with 179 fifth-grade students (52% were girls), examining if writi...

Abstract We designed and investigated the first set of instructional procedures we are aware of to teach 4th and 5th grade students how to write a persuasive essay following close reading of a source text. Eight boys and girls attending a diverse, low income school who were having difficulty learning to write participated in an experimental multipl...

Despite consensus regarding critical design elements for professional development (PD), numerous PD studies have not shown anticipated effects for teachers or students. Mixed methods studies investigating when and why PD is successful are needed. The qualitative study reported here was part of a larger, mixed methods study of PD for self-regulated...

This study tested whether writing skills, knowledge, motivation, and strategic behaviors (within the context of robust writing instruction) each made a statistically unique contribution to predicting fifth-grade students’ (123 girls, 104 boys) composition quality and length on a persuasive writing task involving source material, after variance due...

The purpose of this research was to study the etiology of teacher knowledge about and factors that influence implementation of evidence-based reading and writing interventions at the upper elementary grade levels. Five data sources are used in this study: first, we used teacher surveys about their pre-service preparation on reading comprehension an...

Studies that specifically test the effectiveness of instructional procedures for improving the writing of young African American males who experience difficulty learning to write are almost nonexistent. Although writing intervention studies include these children, researchers rarely disaggregate their data to determine whether the writing treatment...

Despite consensus regarding critical design elements for professional development (PD), numerous PD studies have not shown anticipated effects for teachers or students. Mixed methods studies investigating when and why PD is successful are needed. The qualitative study reported here was part of a larger, mixed methods study of PD for Self-Regulated...

This handbook is currently in development, with individual articles publishing online in advance of print publication. At this time, we cannot add information about unpublished articles in this handbook, however the table of contents will continue to grow as additional articles pass through the review process and are added to the site. Please note...

The impact of supplemental handwriting and spelling instruction on learning to write was examined in an experimental study with first grade students who were not acquiring these skills as rapidly as their classmates. Thirty students (16 boys, 14 girls) were randomly assigned to a handwriting and spelling instructional condition or a phonological aw...

In my response to Alexander’s (2018) paper marking the 125th anniversary of the American Psychological Association and the field of educational psychology, I have taken the perspective of a member of our discipline from some time in the future who is contributing to a larger work looking back at the history and development of our field (thus, a “fu...

A critical purpose of this book is to present analyses of effective instructional approaches with sufficient detail to allow readers (researchers, teachers, curriculum developers, and others) to construct their own interventions, adapted to regional and local needs, which meet the main principles of the previously validated intervention programs. A...

This e-chapter provides a free download of all professional development, teacher, and student materials for SRSD instruction in close reading of source text to write persuasively. This instruction has been successful in controlled experiments with students in grades 4-6.

This meta-analysis examined if students’ writing performance is improved by reading interventions in studies (k = 54 experiments; 5,018 students) where students were taught how to read and studies (k = 36 investigations; 3,060 students) where students’ interaction with words or text was increased through reading or observing others read. Studies in...

Our study tested whether learning is shaped by fundamental cognitive and motivational forces in the academic domain of writing. We examined whether strategic writing behavior and motivation (attitudes toward writing and self-efficacy) made a statistically significant and unique contribution to the prediction of writing quality and number of words w...

complete professional development materials for teachers including guiding lesson plans for professional learning and all student and teacher materials

Reading and writing are critical to students' success in and outside of school. Because they draw on common sources of knowledge and cognitive processes, involve meaning making, and can be used conjointly to accomplish important learning goals, it is often recommended that reading and writing should be taught together. This meta-analysis tested thi...

Even though reading and writing are more important than ever, an unacceptable number of children do not acquire the reading or writing skills needed for educational, social, and occupational success. While we have made considerable progress in identifying effective reading and writing practices, it is important to identify additional practices that...

Teachers’ capabilities to conduct classroom assessment and use assessment evidence are central to quality assessment practice, traditionally conceptualised as assessment literacy. In this paper we present, firstly, an expanded conceptualisation of teachers’ assessment work. Drawing on research on teacher identity, we posit that teachers’ identity a...

In this mixed methods study, qualitative, quantitative, and single-case methods were combined to provide a comprehensive investigation of teacher and student outcomes following practice-based professional development (PBPD) for self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) in writing. Qualitative observations were used to determine outcomes among the...

A random sample of middle school teachers (grades 6–9) from across the United States was surveyed about their use of writing to support students’ learning. The selection process was stratified so there were an equal number of English language arts, social studies, and science teachers. More than one-half of the teachers reported applying 15 or more...

A random sample of teachers in grades 3 and 4 (N = 157) from across the United States were surveyed about their use of evidence-based writing practices, preparation to teach writing, and beliefs about writing. Teachers’ beliefs included their efficacy to teach writing, their orientations to teach writing, their attitude about teaching writing, and...

U.S. students are not performing well in writing, both typically achieving students and students with learning disabilities (LD). Factors that impact learning to write include the complexity of writing and learning to write, challenges in developing effective writing instruction, teacher preparation for teaching writing, and instructional models in...

This study examined the number of writing samples needed to obtain a reliable estimate of young struggling writers’ capabilities. It further assessed if performance in one genre was reflective of performance in other genres for these children. Second- and third-grade students (81 boys, 56 girls), who were identified as struggling writers in need of...

Many web-based learning environments have been developed and tested with mixed results. An often overlooked cause for the variations in findings may be the role of the teacher during the implementation of the software in classroom settings. Results from two recent successful research programs using web-based intelligent tutoring systems may also be...

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) provide a new and ambitious blueprint for the teaching of writing. They provide goals and expectations for the writing knowledge and skills students are expected to master as they move from kindergarten to grade 12. CCSS also places writing at the center of the educational reform movement in the United States,...

In order to meet writing objectives specified in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), many teachers need to make significant changes in how writing is taught. While CCSS identified what students need to master, it did not provide guidance on how teachers are to meet these writing benchmarks. The current article presents research-supported practi...

To determine whether formative writing assessments that are directly tied to everyday classroom teaching and learning enhance students’ writing performance, we conducted a meta-analysis of true and quasi-experiments conducted with students in grades 1 to 8. We found that feedback to students about writing from adults, peers, self, and computers sta...

The personality characteristics and self-concept of teachers-in-training related to their pupil control orientation were investigated. The humanistically oriented educators tended to be emotionally stable, expedient, happy-go-lucky, imaginative, venture-some, outgoing, relaxed, self-assured, and have a high self-concept. The authoritarian educators...

A self-instructional, cognitive behavior modification approach was developed for use with shy children. This treatment was compared to that of “informed teachers,” who were given the names of their students whose self-reports indicated severe shyness, along with techniques for reducing shyness in the classroom. A control group was also included. Pa...

Although teacher characteristics have been identified as an important factor in understanding teacher stress, little research has been done in this area. Previous research by the authors indicated a possible relationship between susceptibility to stress and pupil control orientation. This study investigated the bivariate and multivariate relationsh...

This study examined the number of writing samples needed to obtain a reliable estimate of young struggling writers’ capabilities. It further assessed if performance in one genre was reflective of performance in other genres for these children. Second- and third-grade students (81 boys, 56 girls), who were identified as struggling writers in need of...

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is an evidence-based intervention for use with students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). To date, there are nine studies investigating SRSD in alternative education settings, including self-contained day and residential schools, with 113 students with EBD in grades 3 through 12. A brief synth...

One hundred twenty-five primary-grade teachers randomly selected from across the United States indicated how frequently they made 20 instructional adaptations for the struggling writers in their classroom. The measure of frequency ranged from never, several times a year, monthly, weekly, several times a week, and daily. Using a 6-point Likert-type...

Writing intervention research can enhance our knowledge about writing, its development, and how to teach it effectively. Despite the importance of such research, many of the writing intervention studies conducted previously were of poor quality, as documented by Graham and colleagues in a series of meta-analyses (Graham, McKeown, Kiuhara, & Harris,...

A random sample of language arts, social studies, and science middle school teachers from the United States were surveyed about their preparation to teach writing, beliefs about responsibilities for teaching writing, use of evidence-based writing practices, assessment of writing, use of technology, and adaptations for struggling writers. The findin...

We examined the effects of the Self-Regulated-Strategy-Development (SRSD) for opinion essay writing among 380 eighth grade students in six urban middle schools in a major city in Portugal. Fourteen teachers in six urban middle schools in Portugal participated in the present study; 7 of these teachers participated in practice-based professional deve...

The Pupil Control Ideology (PCI) scale was designed to measure a respondent’s pupil control orientation on a humanistic-custodial continuum. The PCI has been widely used as both a measure of school climate and teacher ideology. In the present study, 362 students majoring in education were administered the PCI, and their responses were examined via...

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a feeling of being in control will make potentially stressful environmental events less so. Subjects were practicing teachers about whom little was known regarding the relationship between locus of control and stress. They responded to the Teacher Locus of Control Scale and the Teacher Occupationa...

In this randomized controlled study, we investigated implementation of Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) in story writing by 11 second grade teachers who first collaborated in practice-based professional development in SRSD. Students at-risk for failure in writing were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions in each teacher’s...

Robinson et al. (Educ Psychol Rev 25(2):291-302, 2013) offer a thoughtful and powerful argument for a policy change for primary educational research journals. This policy change would “disallow recommendations for practice” (p. 10) in primary educational research journals. They provided compelling examples of works in which authors have either offe...

Learning to write is critical in today's world, yet many students are not developing the writing abilities they need to use writing as a powerful tool for learning and for showing what they know. Research indicates that failure to acquire strong writing abilities restricts opportunities for both post-secondary education and employment. This article...

This article examines the Common Core State Standards as they apply to writing and students with learning disabilities (LD). We first consider why the implementation of these standards is advantageous to writing instruction for students with LD as well as the challenges in implementing them. Next, we make the following four recommendations in terms...

This study took place in the context of schools collaborating with a local university to implement an evidence-based, 3-tiered model of prevention and supports targeting academic, behavioral, and social goals. We examined whether Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction, delivered by grade 2 and 3 general education teachers to all stu...

In an effort to identify effective instructional practices for teaching writing to elementary grade students, we conducted a meta-analysis of the writing intervention literature, focusing our efforts on true and quasi-experiments. We located 115 documents that included the statistics for computing an effect size (ES). We calculated an average weigh...

Reports an error in "A Meta-Analysis of Writing Instruction for Students in the Elementary Grades" by Steve Graham, Debra McKeown, Sharlene Kiuhara and Karen R. Harris (Journal of Educational Psychology, Advanced Online Publication, Jul 9, 2012, np). The names of authors Sharlene Kiuhara and Debra McKeown were misspelled as Sharlene Kiuhare and Deb...

In this randomized controlled study, 20 second- and third-grade teachers participated in practice-based professional development in strategies instruction in either story or opinion essay writing, using the Self-Regulated Strategies Development (SRSD) instructional model. These teachers worked in schools collaborating with a local university to imp...

People write for many reasons. Writing is used as a tool to record ideas and information, communicate with others, chronicle experiences, express one's feelings, persuade others, facilitate learning, create imagined worlds, and evaluate students' competence (Graham, 2006). In some instances, the only intended reader of a piece of writing is the aut...

People write for many reasons. Writing is used as a tool to record ideas and information, communicate with others, chronicle experiences, express one's feelings, persuade others, facilitate learning, create imagined worlds, and evaluate students' competence (Graham, 2006). In some instances, the only intended reader of a piece of writing is the aut...

By the upper elementary grades, writing becomes an essential tool both for learning and for showing what you know. Students who struggle significantly with writing are at a terrible disadvantage. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that only 25% of students can be classified as competent writers; students with learnin...