Examining intentional writing decisions of eighth-grade students reading like writers

Purpose To develop as writers, students require regular practice writing and examples of quality texts that can serve as guides for their own writing. Reading like a writer (RLW) is a specific way of reading that can benefit student writers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the writing decisions of 19 eighth-grade students in Northeast Ohio over the course of approximately four months. Design/methodology/approach This basic qualitative study focused on students’ intentional decisions in their writing resulting from RLW across two units of study. Multiple sources of data were collected, including two finished annotated pieces of writing and two written reflections per student. Findings Findings indicate that students each made multiple decisions in their writing, resulting from RLW, categorized into five overarching types of decisions. Most commonly, students reported decisions related to ideas and craft moves. Less frequently, but used across units, students turned to mentor texts to make decisions regarding structure, revision and/or editing, and problem solving. Originality/value The implications of this research highlight RLW as an approach supporting what is known about effective writing instruction, which is applicable at all stages of the writing process.