SELF-ASSESSMENT AND WRITING QUALITY

Students need to learn how to use self-assessments to improve their learning. They need to know where they are, where they are going, and how to get there. Self-assessments are a tool that allows students to understand their strengths and areas for growth in writing. The purpose of this research was to determine if student self-assessment with the use of a co-created rubric improves the writing quality and attitudes toward writing and rubric use with grade two students. Twenty students participated in this action research project, which took place in a grade two classroom within a large metropolitan school division located in southern Alberta. The design used in this research was a mixed-methods approach using both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Surveys, self-assessments using a co-created rubric, and teacher assessments using the co-created rubric were all used to determine the effects of self-assessment on writing quality. Self-assessments and teacher assessments were translated into a 4-point Likert scale to demonstrate improvement in writing quality. The results of the attitude survey, self-assessments, and interviews showed positive attitudes in several areas. The number of students who felt they were poor writers decreased by the end of the research. The majority of students increased how they view themselves as writers. Overall, there were more positive attitude changes than negative. In regards to improving writing quality, the data showed a positive correlation between the use of rubrics for self-assessment and improvement in both the quality of writing and in students’ attitudes toward writing. The largest growth area was specific to the content of the writing.