Research: Learning to Teach Writing by Becoming a Writer: An Examination of Preservice Teachers’ Engagement with the Writing Process

Abstract

Finding ways to develop preservice teachers (PSTs) as both writers and teachers of writing can be a heavy lift for teacher education programs. This article presents a portion of the data from a larger study undertaken as longitudinal, formative design research. Data were gathered from 410 PSTs over a three-year period across four courses in teacher education and English language arts at a private liberal arts university in a southwestern state. Two research questions guided the study: (1) How do preservice teachers engage in practices grounded in process discourse in the context of their teacher education courses?; and (2) How do preservice teachers’ beliefs about their writing self-efficacy change during a semester of engaging in writing with a focus on process discourse? Key findings of the study included PSTs engaging in prewriting activities (e.g., reading, researching) but engaging less in writing while preparing to write (e.g., quicklist, webs). Furthermore, the PSTs utilized peers in revising writing but did not visit those with the most knowledge and skill in supporting writing (e.g., professor, writing center). Finally, PSTs’ confidence in their writing, which was higher at the start of courses than previous research often indicates, decreased across their time in the courses.