Effectiveness of volunteer-led strategy instruction on the story writing of third grade students experiencing difficulties learning to write

Teaching students strategies for carrying out writing processes has been an effective method for improving children’s writing, especially when the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model is used to teach writing strategies. While this is an effective approach, particularly with students who experience difficulty learning to write, it is a complex and time consuming process. This study examined if supplemental SRSD instruction in writing can be delivered effectively by adult volunteers. Adult volunteers can potentially provide teachers with assistance in making sure struggling writers receive the supplementary instruction needed to be successful. Three adult volunteers delivered SRSD instruction for story writing to six third-grade students’ experiencing difficulty learning to write. A multiple-probe design was used to assess the effectiveness of SRSD instruction. Volunteers were able to deliver instruction with high levels of treatment fidelity. Even more importantly, students’ writing improved. All students demonstrated increases in the number of essential elements included in stories and the quality of their stories improved as well.