The Contributions of Writing to Learning and Development: Results from a Large-Scale Multi-institutional Study

Conducted through a collaboration between the Council of Writing Program Administrators (CWPA) and the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), this study identified and tested new variables for examining writing’s relationship to learning and development. Eighty CWPA members helped to establish a consensus model of 27 effective writing practices. Eighty US baccalaureate institutions appended questions to the NSSE instrument based on these 27 practices, yielding responses from 29,634 first-year students and 41,802 seniors. Confirmatory factor analysis identified three constructs: Interactive Writing Processes, Meaning-Making Writing Tasks, and Clear Writing Expectations. Regression analyses indicated that the constructs were positively associated with two sets of established constructs in the regular NSSE instrument—Deep Approaches to Learning (Higher-Order Learning, Integrative Learning, and Reflective Learning) and Perceived Gains in Learning and Development as defined by the institution’s contributions to growth in Practical Competence, Personal and Social Development, and General Education Learning—with effect sizes that were consistently greater than those for the number of pages written. These were net results after controlling for institutional and student characteristics, as well as other factors that might contribute to enhanced learning. The study adds three empirically established constructs to research on writing and learning. It extends the positive impact of writing beyond learning course material to include Personal and Social Development. Although correlational, it can provide guidance to instructors, institutions, accreditors, and other stakeholders because of the nature of the questions associated with the effective writing constructs.