AUTHOR=Cruz Cordero Tania , Wilson Joshua , Myers Matthew C. , Palermo Corey , Eacker Halley , Potter Andrew , Coles Jessica 

TITLE=Writing motivation and ability profiles and transition during a technology-based writing intervention

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1196274

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1196274

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=We identified writing motivation and ability profiles and transition paths of 2,487 U.S. middle-school students participating in an automated writing evaluation (AWE) intervention using MI Write. Four motivation and ability profiles emerged from a latent transition analysis with self-reported writing self-efficacy, attitudes toward writing, and writing ability measures: Low, Low/Mid, Mid/High, and High. Most students started the school year in the Low/Mid (38%) and Mid/High (30%) profiles. Only 11% of students started the school year in the High profile. Between 50 and 70% of students maintained the same profile in the Spring. Approximately 30% of students were likely to move one profile higher in the Spring. Fewer than 1% of students exhibited steeper transitions (e.g., from High to Low profile). Random assignment to treatment did not significantly influence transition paths. Likewise, gender, being a member of a priority population, or receiving special education services did not significantly influence transition paths. Results provide a promising profiling strategy focused on students’ attitudes and motivations and show students’ likeliness to belong to each profile based on their demographic characteristics. Finally, despite previous research indicating positive effects of AWE on writing motivation, results indicate that simply implementing AWE in schools serving priority populations is insufficient to produce meaningful changes in students’ writing motivation profiles or writing outcomes. Therefore, interventions targeting writing motivation, in conjunction with AWE, could improve results.