As I begin my background research, this is where I find myself

I began my pursuit of secondary sources for my project in the library database by playing with key words as the librarian demonstrated for us last week. Since I am invested in what students think, I mainly rummaged through psychology journals that produced articles that focused on student attitudes, writing motivation, and composition. The outcome resulted in article titles that appeared to be very specific. Unlike my interest in the general student body, articles were based on research that had a particular student group in mind or studied how certain aspects contributed to student attitudes. For example, students with a learning disability are a particular group and gender is a certain aspect. Combining multiple details like this creates titles such as, “How Female Students With a Learning Disability in 10^th Grade Feel About Writing Essays in the Winter.” 

I think these types of articles that tend to have a narrow focus are still worth considering for my project. The information is about students nonetheless. Take these instances for example: An article reported that the aspect of race has no significance on student attitudes. On the other hand, gender does seem to have a significance, which an article reported, suggesting that females have more of a positive attitude towards language arts. Lastly, despite the age of the student, lack of motivation is the primary reason students experience writing difficulties. Together, these discoveries teach me something new. It gives me a foundation to build on.

My exploration for secondary sources reveals an immense supply of information to consider. Although it is all useful info, very few sources provide an examination on a typical student’s attitude towards writing. This makes me eager to interview my primary sources because they are current students who can immediately respond to my questions regarding my topic. Without this foundation though, I would have been overwhelmed with curiosity. It’s possible my interview questions could have been overwhelming for my interviewees too if I had no direction first.  

Final iSearch Proposal

The burning question I am purposing to pursue is, how do students feel about writing? This includes how they feel about themselves as writers, do they think they can improve, what do they think good writing looks like, do they think writing is essential, what makes writing interesting for them, and what motivates their writing? We ask students to complete so many assignments throughout the year but I think teachers hardly consider how students feel about the work. Student input can help teachers make the assignments more meaningful, more relevant, and more interesting. The input can also inform teachers of any preconceptions and prior instruction the students have had on the process of writing.

As a teacher candidate, it’s pretty obvious that I enjoyed my high school experience. Also, it’s not a coincidence that I want to teach my favorite subject, English. My awesome experiences however are not what all students can relate to. I was mainly associated with the students who were just as enthusiastic about reading and writing as I was but I know that there were others who were disconnected from the subject. As I explore my topic, I want to be sure to include opinions from the students who feel disengaged from writing assignments. It is important for me to embrace a wide range of perspectives so I can gain a genuine sense of the average student body.

I work as a teacher assistant at a Providence public high school and my topic came to me slowly. My curiosity began by simply observing. Sitting quietly in a spot where I can see everyone’s face while the teacher gives a lesson or directions, I was scanning all their faces and gestures to determine their individual reactions. I thought I could single out a few students who were not interested so I can provide additional support. I was surprised to realize that the majority of my students are not attracted to any writing lessons, material, or assignments lately. This brought me to my topic because so many of them were falling behind on their writing assignments. I wondered, how can we change it so that they are all interested?

Being interested in school work keeps students involved but I hope that by exploring my topic it will help me understand more than just keeping my students from falling asleep. I want to make writing meaningful for them so they know their writing serves a purpose. I want to make writing relevant to their lives so when they leave high school, they are equipped with the proper skills to use it continuously in different ways as adults. My topic is significant to me because it will investigate the student’s perspective on writing and as a future teacher of writing, I want to be effective.

If we explore the student’s perspective on writing then we can begin to answer their questions with a better understanding of their preconceived notions so we can encourage better writers. My peers all around the world have the responsibility to positively affect every student in their classrooms so it is crucial to consider their thoughts and feelings. If they are willing to evaluate their classroom and student success, then exploring my topic for themselves will be beneficial. We would all have a bigger impact on our students if we can connect with them beyond academics.

I want to begin with the students in my ninth grade classroom. They are just beginning their high school journey and I want to get a peek at their expectations. I want to possibly use their thoughts on our classroom instruction so we can make writing more meaningful before the year is over. Students in other classrooms, other grades, and other buildings will also be my primary sources so I can have a larger sample of the student’s perspective. These students will be my primary source because they are current high school students, in Providence, who I can easily access. I will either have them fill out some sort of survey or record our conversation on my topic so I can save their exact thoughts, words, and ideas.

I am also interested in asking adults the same questions I would ask the students. Teachers in other subjects like math or science, adults who graduated high school, and/or students in college who have a perspective on writing. These would be adults I am familiar with or who work in my building. Access to them will be just as easy.

When I begin to conduct interviews and after a few conversations, I think my search will begin to form an impression on me. I hope I will have a better understanding of what students are feeling, thinking, and expecting writing can or cannot do. I have to consider that there may not be an easy way to categorize the answers to my questions, or a way to put them to use, or secondary sources that have explored my topic already. No matter what, I will definitely learn something new!

A video that introduces my iSearch topic! "What do students think about writing?"