Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Billie V. Andersson

Abstract

Writing is a fundamental skill needed for academic success and is considered a lifelong tool. Most students in the United States, however, do not meet grade-level proficiency in writing. Since 2015, the fourth-grade writing performance has not exceeded 50% proficient at the study site. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore fourth-grade writing teachers’ perceptions of learner-centered instructional writing strategies and to identify best practices that can be shared via professional development. The conceptual framework was based on Weimer’s learner-centered principles. The research questions focused on exploring fourth-grade writing teachers’ perceptions of learner-centered writing instructional strategies and identifying learner-centered best practices for teaching writing. Purposeful sampling was used to select 10 fourth-grade writing teachers at the site. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis and open and axial coding strategies. Participants identified that students did not have control of assignment choices and felt that allowing students to write freely about their experiences (vs. having them respond to writing prompts) was beneficial to lifelong writing and learning. Based on these findings, a professional development series was designed to support fourth-grade teachers’ implementation of learner-centered writing instruction to allow students to choose their assignments in writing and teachers to act as skilled facilitators. The findings from this study may lead to positive social change by implementing learner-centered writing instructional strategies in schools to improve students’ writing.

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