Intervention for Struggling Writers in Elementary School

Male students perform significantly lower than female students on tests that measure writing achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the use of a visual graphic organizer application to engage elementary-aged male students who struggle with the writing process. The results suggest that teachers of male students should consider using a visual graphic organizer application for writing. Statement of the Problem The writing process is a series of continuous actions that include: planning, drafting, revising, and editing. For struggling writers, especially male students, they lose interest because the process can become frustrating (Goldberg & Roswell, 2013). The goal of K-12 educators who teach writing is to have students become individuals who can write no matter the purpose or audience. In the case of struggling male writers, the goal is to engage them in writing, not push them further away from it (Goldberg & Roswell, 2013). When the average male student enters kindergarten, developmentally he can be as much as a year and a half behind his female peers in the area of reading/writing (Gurian, Stevens, & Daniels, 2009). Some male students show a lack of interest in writing and think that it is only for female students. According to Garlid (2014), the reason for the lack of interest in writing may be due to video games, medical reasons, a lack of male teachers at the elementary level, and an increased emphasis on standardized testing. It is critical that male students become engaged writers. Therefore, educators must find ways to meet their needs and find out where their interests and passions lie. Purpose and Research Questions