Editing for A Brighter Future: Measuring the Effects of a Writing Lab at the High School Level
School Name
Chapin High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Psychology and Sociology
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
This project is a study on the effects of a review of an essay by a higher-level English student in comparison to the traditional peer review used in classrooms. It measured the effects in terms of students’ confidence in their essay. It was designed to determine which method is most effective in order to improve the writing skills and confidence of students. Two Honors English 3 classes at Chapin High School were partnered with to conduct the study. Each class wrote an essay as an assignment, and the entire class peer edited the essays except for five randomly selected students from each class. Those who were selected worked with an AP English student instead. The students who peer edited took a survey on how peer editing affected their confidence in their writing, and the ten experimental students took a pre- and post-survey on how the different style of editing affected their confidence. According to the post-survey, the experimental students experienced an average of a 23% increase in confidence level. It was also interesting to note that of students whose essays were peer edited, the largest group felt that peer editing mostly helped with spelling and mechanics, while the largest group of experimental students felt that editing with an AP student addressed their wording and phrasing issues.
Recommended Citation
Sharpton, Sarah E., "Editing for A Brighter Future: Measuring the Effects of a Writing Lab at the High School Level" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 174.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/174
Start Date
4-11-2015 11:30 AM
End Date
4-11-2015 11:45 AM
Editing for A Brighter Future: Measuring the Effects of a Writing Lab at the High School Level
This project is a study on the effects of a review of an essay by a higher-level English student in comparison to the traditional peer review used in classrooms. It measured the effects in terms of students’ confidence in their essay. It was designed to determine which method is most effective in order to improve the writing skills and confidence of students. Two Honors English 3 classes at Chapin High School were partnered with to conduct the study. Each class wrote an essay as an assignment, and the entire class peer edited the essays except for five randomly selected students from each class. Those who were selected worked with an AP English student instead. The students who peer edited took a survey on how peer editing affected their confidence in their writing, and the ten experimental students took a pre- and post-survey on how the different style of editing affected their confidence. According to the post-survey, the experimental students experienced an average of a 23% increase in confidence level. It was also interesting to note that of students whose essays were peer edited, the largest group felt that peer editing mostly helped with spelling and mechanics, while the largest group of experimental students felt that editing with an AP student addressed their wording and phrasing issues.
