Interest in an expository text: How does it flow from reading to writing?

• Published in: Learning and instruction 2011-06, Vol.21 (3), p.467-480
• Main Authors: Boscolo, Pietro, Ariasi, Nicola, Del Favero, Laura, Ballarin, Chiara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Expository Writing; Grade 11; Grade 12; High School Students; Persuasive Discourse; Reading Processes; Reading to write; Reading Writing Relationship; Student Attitudes; Student Interests; Text-based interest; Topic interest; Writing task
• ISSN: 0959-4752; 1873-3263
• DOI: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2010.07.009

This study investigated the flow of interest in a reading-to-write activity. It was hypothesized that (a) different contents in a text would stimulate different types of interest and (b) different writing tasks would impact differently students’ use of interesting text segments. Participants were 247 11th- and 12th-grade students, who were divided into 6 groups according to a 2 (interesting vs. uninteresting topic) × 3 (type of writing task) design. While reading, students rated novelty, curiosity, impressiveness, importance, and willingness to reflect on each text segment. Participants were then assigned to one of three writing tasks, namely argumentation, text designing, and composition. Results showed that concepts were regarded as important, events/activities as impressive, and evaluations as most worthy of reflection. Topic interest was explicitly expressed mainly in the argumentation condition, where increased topic interest scores after reading and writing were also found.