RESEARCH

Effects of a Writer’s Checklist and Self-Regulation Writing Strategies

A writer’s checklist, also known as a procedural facilitator, is “an evidence-based, explicit step-by-step strategy that provides students with a plan of action or process to follow to minimize challenges in writing (Baker, Gersten, & Scanlon, 2002; Scanlon, Cass, Amtzis, & Sideridis, 2009)” (as cited in Jagaiah et al., 2019, p. 103). Since writing is a multi-phase process, struggling and reluctant writers often show difficulty in comprehending the value of writing, specifically planning and revising, both essential stages in the writing process. “Struggling writers have significantly less knowledge  about the purpose and value of writing as compared to their peers who are competent writers (Saddler  &  Graham, 2007)” (as cited in Abdullah et al., 2017, p. 215). Therefore, by increasing student self-efficacy with a writer’s checklist, student writers should demonstrate a decrease in task anxiety and writing quality should improve as a result.

 

A writer’s checklist and other similar self-regulation strategies model skills such as goal-setting and self-monitoring, depending on the stage in which the writing strategy is being used. A writer’s checklist and similar strategies can be used during any stage of writing, most commonly during the planning stage, the drafting stage, and/or the revising stage. Such strategies can easily be adapted and revised according to the writing task or students’ needs. This literature review will inform and justify the use of a writer’s checklist and help determine if it will improve students’ organization when writing a personal narrative. The purpose of this literature review is to discuss the effects of a writer’s checklist and other similar self-regulation strategies on effective student writing. Specifically, it will discuss how self-regulation strategies affect students’ writing quality, students’ attitude toward a writing task, and students’ sense of self-efficacy.