Teachers’ goals for teaching writing to economically disadvantaged students: relations with beliefs and writing instruction

Abstract

This study examines how writing is taught to students from low socioeconomic status (LSES) backgrounds, considering the issue of writing underperformance of these students. A total of 241 Australian teachers from Grades 4 to 6 completed a survey questionnaire. Using an achievement goal perspective, structural equation analyses revealed the link between teachers’ beliefs about students’ cognitive attributes and the suitability of basic writing instruction, with their teaching goals and the frequency of teaching writing skills. Cluster analyses identified three distinct groups of teachers with differing goal profiles, beliefs, and writing instructional practices. The findings highlight the importance of mastery goals in teaching writing to LSES students.