ORCID
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9599-9462
Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Philosophy (Ph.D)
Department
Education Specialties
First Advisor
Olivia G Stewart
Second Advisor
Nikki Chamblee
Abstract
For decades, colleges and universities have been grappling with the task of closing the readiness gap for underprepared writers entering the higher education system. Traditional developmental education models are costly and inefficient at best, and detrimental to the matriculation of students at worst. Bridge programs have had moderate success, but at a high price tag. Within the last decade, alternate approaches to developmental education, such as accelerated and corequisite models, have emerged. While these approaches have demonstrated success in improving overall student proficiency and confidence, little is known about the specific mechanisms and environments that promote success and improve writing self-efficacy. Using a sequential-explanatory mixed methods design, this research study examined the writing self-efficacy beliefs of 50 students enrolled in a multi-pathway academic bridge program featuring two distinct tracks: an accelerated-corequisite with summer support and a congruent mainstreamed corequisite developmental writing course. The Post-Secondary Writerly Self-Efficacy Scale (PSWSES) scale and the Writing Apprehension Scale (WAS) were administered to participants and the researcher found comparable measures of writing self-efficacy. Semi-structured interviews expanded on and explained the reasons participants may have achieved equivalent, moderate writing self-efficacy. Additional findings explain how the University’s Academic Success Program may have contributed to those findings. This research has the potential to identify and amplify factors of the program significant for writing self-efficacy development. Recommendations are given for how administrators and practitioners can improve on the writing self-efficacy for conditionally admitted students.
Recommended Citation
Ersheid, Alison, "SUPPORTING UNDERPREPARED WRITERS IN AN ACADEMIC SUCCESS PROGRAM" (2024). Theses and Dissertations. 786.
https://scholar.stjohns.edu/theses_dissertations/786