Boosting Writing Success: Exploring Attitudes and Proficiency in a Performance Feedback Intervention

Although writing attitudes have been found to positively predict writing achievement and writing interventions have been found to enhance writing attitudes, existing research has predominately focused on evaluating writing attitudes before and after the implementation of writing interventions. In this study, 45 fourth-grade students participated in a six-week performance feedback writing intervention, with writing attitudes assessed both pre- and post-intervention as well as throughout the intervention implementation period. Results indicated that students’ writing attitudes were moderate and declined at both the onset and conclusion of the intervention. Contrary to the initial expectations, improvements in writing proficiency were negatively associated with writing attitudes. These findings suggest that students’ attitudes may be particularly sensitive to feedback effects, highlighting important directions for future research and practice aimed at improving writing proficiency in emerging writers.