Dialogue journals in the junior high school

Cook, Sharon Anne (1993) Dialogue journals in the junior high school. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This study statistically evaluated dialogue journal writing as a pedagogical method for encouraging written language development. Little statistical documentation exists to support the use of this written dialogue. This investigation attempted to ascertain if four variables: namely, students' writing proficiency, students' attitudes towards writing, students' perceptions of writing, and reading comprehension ability, were influenced as a result of participating in dialogue journal writing over a ten month period. Due to the organizational structure of the school, groups were intact according to class placement. The sample consisted of 78 grade eight students during the academic year 1989-1990. An experimental group of twenty-seven students participated in dialogue journal writing with the researcher outside of class time while a control group of fifty-one students followed the regular Language Arts program. Both groups were tested at the beginning and end of the year. The one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) conducted on the data showed that the experimental groups were not statistically different in any of the variables at the onset of the study but the groups differed significantly in writing competency measures at the end of the year. The analysis of covariance conducted indicated that the dialogue journal experience had a significant influence on students' writing proficiencies over and above the background variables (gender, age, and parental education) and the students' prior performance in the written language area but no significant effect was found on the other three outcome variables, attitudes toward writing, perceptions of writing, and reading comprehension ability. Based on the evidence provided by these statistical tests, it was concluded that the students who had been exposed to the dialogue journal writing activity attained a higher level of writing competency than those students who were not exposed to this activity.

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