Writing in Adult Secondary Education Classes

As part of the W-ASE project, we are designing and testing a technology-supported writing curriculum to teach argumentative writing for adult education students. Our study involves several related activities:

1. We developed and administered a Digital Writing Assessment to learn what digital literacy skills we needed to include in our curriculum. This assessment includes questions on familiarity and use of computers and word processors, keyboarding proficiency, motivation and goals for writing development, educational goals, and tasks to measure students’ writing and word processing skills.
2. We conducted a Teacher Survey to learn about current practices and attitudes around writing instruction. We started with a survey of adult educators who teach writing in one state, and plan to distribute the survey nationally in the upcoming year.
3. We have been iteratively developing and testing our Argumentative Writing Curriculum, Professional Development, and Digital Literacy Resources. Research teachers have implemented two rounds of instruction, and authentic teachers have implemented two rounds of instruction within their regular classes. We are preparing to implement a pilot study with treatment and business as usual groups in Fall 2025.
4. At the end of our project, our finalized writing curriculum and supporting materials will be available to the public online.