Do sixth‐grade writers need process strategies?

Background Strategy‐focused writing instruction trains students both to set explicit product goals and to adopt specific procedural strategies, particularly for planning text. A number of studies have demonstrated that strategy‐focused writing instruction is effective in developing writing performance. Aim This study aimed to determine whether teaching process strategies provides additional benefit over teaching students to set product goals. Sample Ninety‐four typically developing Spanish sixth‐grade (upper primary) students. Method Students received 10 hr of instruction in one of three conditions: Strategy‐focused training in setting product goals and in writing procedures (planning and revision; Product‐and‐Process), strategy‐focused training in setting product goals (Product‐Only), and product‐focused instruction (Control). Students' writing performance was assessed before, during, and after intervention with process measures based on probed self‐report and holistic and text‐analytic measures of text quality. Results Training that included process instruction was successful in changing students' writing processes, with no equivalent process changes in the Product‐Only or Control conditions. Both Process‐and‐Product and Product‐Only conditions resulted in substantial improvements in the quality of students' texts relative to controls, but with no evidence of benefits of process instruction over those provided by the Product‐Only condition. Teaching process substantially increased time‐on‐task. Conclusions Our findings confirm the value of strategy‐focused writing instruction, but question the value of training specific process strategies.