Leren schrijven met Tekster: Een wetenschappelijk beproefde lesmethode voor het basisonderwijs

To improve writing instruction in the upper elementary grades, we developed the comprehensive strategy-focused writing instruction program Tekster [Texter]. The effects of Tekster were tested in two large-scale experiments, involving 2766 students and 144 teachers from 52 schools. The first intervention lasted 8 weeks (2 lessons a week), the second intervention 16 weeks (1 lesson a week) and included a professional development program for teachers. Both studies showed a positive effect of the program on students' writing performance, ES = 0.40 (study 1), and ES = 0.55 (study 2). In both studies student gains were maintained after two months. Because writing quality was assessed in three genres, the findings are generalizable across students, classes, and writing tasks. Taken together, the results of these experiments demonstrate that a strategy-focused writing instruction program, such as Tekster, can be an effective way to improve upper-elementary students' written language skills.