Writing About Values Boosts Grades for Middle ... ( But positive effect was only seen in ...)

Writing About Values Boosts Grades for Middle Schoolers

Date:4/16/2009

But positive effect was only seen in black children, study finds,,,,

THURSDAY, April 16 (HealthDay News) -- When children write about their values, these self-affirmation exercises can help boost grades, new research suggests.

However, the positive effect seems to only translate into higher marks for black students, according to the study, which appears in the April 17 issue of Science.

"This psychological intervention can have a long-term positive impact on children's academic performance and help to close the racial achievement gap," said study author Geoffrey Cohen, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

But, added Cohen, "This is not a silver bullet. The improvements came from the psychological interventions paired with good resources and good teachers."

For this study, Cohen and his colleagues had three groups of seventh-graders: European-American children, high-performing black children and low-performing black children. Each group was split into two, with half receiving the intervention and the other half serving as a control. Each group had between 65 and 75 children.

The intervention was a series of structured writing assignments where the kids were asked to select a value and then write about that value. Each writing assignment took about 15 minutes to complete, and was repeated between three and five times throughout a year.

"What we found is that African-Americans who received the intervention did better academically over the two-year study. Grades improved almost a half a grade point for low-performing African-Americans. The intervention consistently closed the racial achievement gap," said Cohen.

For blacks, the rate of remediation or grade repetition dropped from 18 percent to 5 percent for those children who received the intervention.

One of the ways this type of intervention helps children, according to
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. GlobalMedia Provides Free Grant Writing and Application Assistance to Healthcare Providers and Professionals Seeking Their Share of Billions in Economic Stimulus Dollars
2. Next Inning Technology Research Identifies Winning Option Writing Strategies on Undervalued Stocks
3. Computerized writing aids make writing easier for persons with aphasia
4. Hooper Holmes Appoints Marcus Mears President of Underwriting Solutions Division
5. Writing a Prescription for Safety: B. Braun CAPS(R) Announces New Advancements at ashp 2008
6. Expressive writing appears to change thoughts and feelings about cancer
7. Verathon Inc., maker of GlideScope(R) Video Laryngoscopes, Introduces Free Grant Writing Kit for EMS Professionals
8. Center for Science Writings presents: Big Fat Lies: The Truth about Diet, Exercise and Obesity
9. Cleveland Clinic Press Releases Journal-Writing Book Write for Life: Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit Through Journal Writing by Sheppard B. Kominars, Ph.D.
10. Study Shows Consumers With High Deductible Health Plans Are More Savvy About Controlling Costs, Improving Health
11. Capitol Hill Briefing Scheduled for April 15th About Homelessness and Mental Illness

Post Your Comments:

Writing About Values Boosts Grades for Middle ...( But positive effect was only seen in ...),Health