Date Approved

6-17-2019

Embargo Period

7-31-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. Special Education

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Kuder, Sydney J.

Committee Member 1

Accardo, Amy

Committee Member 2

Shuff, Midge

Keywords

Expository Text, Holistic Rubric, Inferential Questions, Narrative Text, Self-Monitor, Self-Questioning

Subject(s)

Composition (Language arts)--Study and teaching

Disciplines

Language and Literacy Education | Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the self-questioning strategy, using student-generated questions when writing narrative and expository text. Six eighth grade students, diagnosed with a disability, were measured on their achievement in their quality of writing, through a 6-point holistic rubric and a feature checklist, their quantity of writing through the number of words written, and their creation of literal, direct, and evaluative questions. Students participated in a narrative and expository cycle over the duration of four months. In Phase A, of each cycle, students wrote an essay of the specified genre, establishing the baseline. In Phase B, of each cycle, students became immersed in the genre through the reading of various texts of the specified genre. Students created literal, inferential, and evaluative questions based on the genre features. Students answered these questions and used the information to write another essay of the studied genre. The questions created were used to self-regulate, self-assess, and peer-assess the essay written during Phase B. The data suggests that the use of this strategy is effective in displaying students' level of thinking about the studied genre. It also heightens students' knowledge of the studied genres, enabling students to write a more organized and better quality writing piece, incorporating more genre features.

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