Writing in Adult Secondary Education Classes

Woman writing and using laptopLed by Georgia State University, this Network research team is developing a writing curriculum for adult secondary education (ASE) learners. The team will also develop a professional development (PD) delivery model and online resources for instructors and ASE learners.

Background

Learners in ASE programs have a variety of goals. For example, they may be trying to pass high school equivalency tests or transition to postsecondary education. While writing is an important skill for achieving these goals, there is little research on how to teach writing to this population.

Project Description

The Writing in Adult Secondary Education (W-ASE) research team will build off a curriculum that was developed and evaluated for developmental education writing courses. They will develop a technology-supported version for ASE learners. They will also conduct a pilot study to determine the potential of the intervention to improve student writing, learning, and motivation.

Project Activities

The research team will use an iterative design and testing process to develop the intervention. The final intervention will include a writing curriculum, student online resources, and instructor PD materials. The team will then conduct a quasi-experimental pilot study.

Products

The research team will produce an ASE writing curriculum and support materials, which will be freely available on the W-ASE website in 2026. The team will also produce publications and presentations on findings from the design studies in 2024-25 and on findings on impacts from the pilot study in 2026.

For More Information

Please visit the Writing in Adult Secondary Education Classes project page on the IES website for a detailed project description. For more information about the project, please contact the Principal Investigator Cynthia Puranik.

This project is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education through Award #R305N210030.

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