| Abstract |
In the present research we attempted to couple the contemporary socio-cognitive
approaches with the therapeutical properties of writing and the theory of therapeutic
writing in narrative writing instruction. The aim of this research is to design, implement
and evaluate an interventional program that combines the teaching of writing strategies
with the therapeutic writing techniques of students with or without learning difficulties in
order to ascertain whether it can: a) improve the quality of writing; b) contribute to the
development of metacognition and c) reduce the levels of anxiety of students - teenagers
with or without learning difficulties.
Specifically, the effect of therapeutic techniques of writing in conjunction with
teaching writing strategies investigated in cognitive, metacognitive and emotional level,
and in particular with regard to the quality of narrative texts produced, the level of
metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive skills, which are necessary for students to
manage the difficulties of writing task more effectively and the anxiety levels of students
in writing. At the same time, the effects on these parameters were compared with the
corresponding three teaching interventions one of which was supported only in sociocognitive
approaches, the other only in the techniques of therapeutic writing and the latter
in the traditional teaching of writing, as defined by the curriculum. We sought to
investigate the complementary relationship between socio-cognitive approaches with the
theory of therapeutic writing and to examine how effective the integration of therapeutic
writing could be as a supportive tool for more effective teaching of writing.
To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, we designed, applied and evaluated
three educational interventions to teach narrative texts in real teaching situations. The
sample of the study consisted of 85 students enrolled in the first grade. With draw
resulted three experimental groups and a control group. In the research, which lasted a
school year, we had the participation of four groups of 12-year-old high school students:
the first experimental group, implemented socio-cognitive intervention, the second
experimental group, implemented therapeutic writing techniques intervention, the third
experimental group, implemented a combination interventional program (socio-cognitive
models of writing and therapeutic writing techniques), while the fourth was the control group, was applied the "traditional" teaching method of writing, as defined by the
curriculum. Students were divided into three groups: average, above average and below
average writers.
The research was a multi-method one, that is to say it utilized sources to collect
both qualitative and quantitative data. The research was carried out in three steps: A Step:
Initial Measurement - B Step: Interventional Program - C Step: Final Measurement. In
the initial and final measurement was performed evaluating the quality of writing
(narrative students’ texts-analytical rating), metacognitive knowledge (unstructured
interview), metacognitive skills (observation key) and anxiety levels of students (State-
Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI).
The results indicated significant differences between the experimental groups and
the control group but also among the individual subgroups of students. In particular, the
students of the first experimental group (socio-cognitive intervention) were significantly
improved at the cognitive and metacognitive level while a lower positive effect was
observed at the emotional level. The students of the second experimental group
(therapeutic writing techniques) were significantly improved at the emotional level while
the improvement in cognitive and metacognitive level was less. The students of the third
experimental group (combination interventional program) had the greatest improvement
in all the parameters investigated. The students of the control group and especially the
students with learning disabilities did not seem to improve significantly in any of the
parameters, demonstrating the inability of "traditional teaching" to focus on the
substantial difficulties of these students.
Finally, the results confirmed the beneficial effects and the importance of
combining the teaching writing strategies and therapeutic writing techniques, contributing
to enhancing students’ thinking, communicating, feeling (cognitive, metacognitive and
emotional dimension) in the process of constructing meaning.
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