Cited by 148Writing and Handwriting EducationReading and Literacy DevelopmentEFL/ESL Teaching and Learning

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 74 of the 75 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 9 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Grammar for writing? An investigation of the effects of contextualised grammar teaching on students’ writing

Open access
Jones, Susan, Myhill, Debra, Bailey, Trevor·2013·Reading and Writing

Abstract

The role of grammar instruction in the teaching of writing is contested in most Anglophone countries, with several robust meta-analyses finding no evidence of any beneficial effect. However, existing research is limited in that it only considers isolated grammar instruction and offers no theorisation of an instructional relationship between grammar and writing. This study, drawing on a theorised understanding of grammar as a meaning-making resource for writing development, set out to investigate the impact of contextualised grammar instruction on students’ writing performance. The study adopted a mixed-methods approach, with a randomised controlled trial and a complementary qualitative study. The statistical analyses indicate a positive effect on writing performance for the intervention group (e = 0.21; p < 0.001); but the study also indicates that the intervention impact differentially on different sub-groups, benefiting able writers more than weaker writers. The study is significant in being the first to supply rigorous, theorised evidence for the potential benefits of teaching grammar to support development in writing.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1007/s11145-012-9416-1

Cites

74 of 74 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

29 Own result · 17 Own method · 13 Own interpretation · 4 No full text of the sources · 4 No basis given · 2 Not checked yet · 1 Sources not found

Show all 32 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 25
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 22
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 1
38 of 38
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Teachers' grammatical subject knowledge is a factor in the teaching of grammar.

    “given that GSK is known to be a factor in the teaching of grammar”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The comparison group did not receive contextualised grammar teaching of the kind under investigation.

    “Because it is not possible in a naturalistic educational setting to prevent any teaching of grammar naturally occurring, we have consistently used the term 'comparison' rather than 'control' group.”
2 of 2

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

1 of 1

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 9

  1. British Educational Research Association (BERA). (2004). Revised ethical guidelines for educational research: 2004. Nottingham, UK: BERA.
  2. Cajkler, W., & Hislam, J. (2004). Teaching and understanding grammar: How trainee teachers make sense of a new curriculum? In N. Bartels (Ed.), Applied linguistics in language teacher education (pp. 295–312). Dordrecht: Kluwer.
  3. Department for Education and Skills (DfES). (2001). Framework for teaching English: Years 7, 8 and 9. London: DfES.
  4. Laurinen, I. (1955). The development of sentence sense in the light of the results attained in the teaching of writing in Finnish primary schools. Unpublished PhD thesis.
  5. Locke, T. (2005). Writing positions and rhetorical spaces. In B. Doecke & G. Parr (Eds.), Writing = learning (pp. 75–95). South Australia: AATE, Wakefield Press.
  6. Myhill, D. A. (2010b). Harnessing grammar: weaving words and shaping texts. Better: Evidence-Based Education, Winter 2010, pp. 12–13.
  7. National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges (NCW). (2003). The neglected ‘R’: The need for a writing revolution. New York: College Board.
  8. OFSTED. (2009). English at the crossroads. London: OFSTED.
  9. Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). (1998). The grammar papers. London: QCA.

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Metadata

Authors
Jones, S., Myhill, D., & Bailey, T.
Affiliations
  • University of Exeter (GB)
  • University of Wollongong (AU)
Corresponding author
Myhill, Debra
Venue
Reading and Writing
Published
2012-09-14
Volume
26
Issue
8
Pages
1241-1263
ISSN
  • 0922-4777 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-0905
OpenAlex
W1971469592
Cited by
148
References
75
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 1
FWCI
31.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Reading and Writing (publishedVersion)
  • Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion)
  • Research Online (University of Wollongong) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion)
Funders
Economic and Social Research Council (ES/J00037X/1, ES/F015313/1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Education › Writing and Handwriting Education
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Language and Linguistics › EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning
Keywords
grammar instruction, writing instruction, writing performance, meaning-making, writing development, English as a second language

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