Rachael Kermath

How does assessment influence writers and how does this affect writing centers?

 Writing self-efficacy: the belief in one’s abilities to create an intelligent, apt, and important piece of writing on one’s own.  Assessment of writing: the evaluation of a work by the writer or a reader which gives feedback that can affect the writer.  Innate abilities  Attitude toward past writing  Instructor comments

 Type of self-assessment  Students believe that if they aren’t good writers now, they weren’t meant to write and can therefore never be good How this affects self-efficacy  Michael Palmquist and Richard Young study  Higher apprehension  Lower self-efficacy Palmquist, Michael, and Richard Young. "The Notion of Giftedness and Student Expectations about Writing." Written Communication 9 (1992): Print. Wachholz, Patricia B., and Carol Etheridge. Speaking for Themselves: Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs of High- and Low-Apprehensive Writers. Tech. Jackon, TN: n.p., ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED ERIC. Web. 23 Nov Watson, Amber. “How Student Beliefs in Giftedness and Teacher Competence Affect Writing Self-Assessments.” Young Scholars in Writing 5 (Spring 2008):

 Another type of self-assessment  Previous grades, awards and honors How this affects self-efficacy  Patricia Wachholz and Carol Etheridge’s study  “These awards have helped me to feel better about my writing and helps me to do better” – student with high self-efficacy (9)  “I had an F on my first essay and I then knew my college career was doomed” – student with low self-efficacy (9) Wachholz, Patricia B., and Carol P. Etheridge. "Speaking for Themselves: Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs of High- and Low Apprehensive Writers." Educational Resources Information Center. N.p., Web. 24 Oct

 Other types of teacher involvement can affect self-efficacy, too  Teachers play an important role in student writing development How this affects self-efficacy  Both positive and negative comments on past writing can affect a student’s self-efficacy  Patricia Wachholz and Carol Etheridge’s study  “My English teacher really red inked my papers a lot. I had no confidence in myself after that.” – student with low self-efficacy (12) Wachholz, Patricia B., and Carol P. Etheridge. "Speaking for Themselves: Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs of High- and Low Apprehensive Writers." Educational Resources Information Center. N.p., Web. 24 Oct

 James D. Williams and Seiji Takaku’s study  Students with lower self-efficacy frequent the writing center  “adaptive help seeking was positively related to the students’ writing proficiency.” (12) Williams, James D., and Seiji Takaku. "Help Seeking, Self-efficacy, and Writing Performance among College Students." Journal of Writing Research 3.1 (2011): Web. 24 Oct

 Tutors need to take all of these sources of adapted self- efficacy into account when tutoring.  Students who believe they are not gifted in writing need to be shown they can handle it by the use of new techniques  Asking what aspects of writing a student has had trouble with in the past and helping to overcome those issues can help a student who has had bad experiences with writing  Tutors can’t do anything about what a teacher writes on a student’s draft, but it is possible to find the constructive criticism in negative comments

 Emily Bullock suggests that praise, “for even the smallest of achievements,” is beneficial to students at the writing center (15).  Katherine Schmidt and Joel Alexander’s research shows that visiting writing centers actually raises self-efficacy, as opposed to not seeking any help at all. Bullock, Emily. "Addressing Apprehension: Approaching the Low Self-Efficacy Writer."Writing Lab Newsletter 37 (Nov.-Dec. 2012): The Writing Lab Newsletter. Web. 23 Nov Schmidt, Katherine M., and Joel E. Alexander. "The Empirical Development of an Instrument to Measure Writerly Self-Efficacy in Writing Centers." Journal of Writing Assessment 5.1 (2012): n. pag. Jan Web. 25 Nov

Bullock, Emily. "Addressing Apprehension: Approaching the Low Self-Efficacy Writer."Writing Lab Newsletter 37 (Nov.-Dec. 2012): The Writing Lab Newsletter. Web. 23 Nov Palmquist, Michael, and Richard Young. "The Notion of Giftedness and Student Expectations about Writing." Written Communication 9 (1992): Print. Schmidt, Katherine M., and Joel E. Alexander. "The Empirical Development of an Instrument to Measure Writerly Self-Efficacy in Writing Centers." Journal of Writing Assessment 5.1 (2012): n. pag. Jan Web. 25 Nov Wachholz, Patricia B. Speaking for Themselves: Writing Self-Efficacy Beliefs of High- and Low Apprehensive Writers. Tech. Jackon, TN: n.p., ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED ERIC. Web. 23 Nov Watson, Amber. “How Student Beliefs in Giftedness and Teacher Competence Affect Writing Self-Assessments.” Young Scholars in Writing 5 (Spring 2008): Williams, James D., and Seiji Takaku. "Help Seeking, Self-efficacy, and Writing Performance among College Students." Journal of Writing Research 3.1 (2011): Web. 24 Oct