Joel Okyere-Badoo

Professor Malcolm Campbell

WRDS 1104

February 21, 2022

Questions Proposal: Differences in Writing Between People

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

● Why does writing come easily to some people and not as easily to others?

Research

Why is/are your topic question(s) significant? Why is your question worth asking?

My topic question is significant because it inquires on a topic which applies to everyone: writing.

Researching why writing comes easier to some people and not others gives concrete reasoning

which can be applied to teaching and/or learning writing.

Who else is asking your question(s)?

Those present in the academic field are asking the same question. As such, teachers, professors,

and even students may find interest in answering such a question. Future writers hoping to

improve their writing are also likely to be asking such a question.

Where are these questions being asked? Where are the conversations about your topic

happening?
This question is primarily being asked in the academic field. Conversations can be seen in

scholarly journal articles.

What implications for the future do your questions have?

Future implications of my question would probably be centered around making writing more

accessible to others. The primary question that will be asked is how to make writing easier to

learn for those who have a hard time writing. As such, questions may look like the following:

“what techniques can be used to effectively teach writing?” and “what fundamental skills are

present in successful writers?”

What do you hope to learn based on the research you’ve done so far?

I hope to learn if writing solely relies on one’s innate abilities. I also hope to learn how changes

can be made to school systems to make writing come easier to people who struggle with it.

Source 1: Do Children With Reading Difficulties Experience Writing Difficulties? A

Meta-Analysis

The article begins by presenting the assumption that children who experience difficulties reading

also experience difficulties writing. It goes on to present theories which further support this

claim. Both reading and writing are structurally related. As presented in the article, “teaching

reading improves writing, [and] teaching writing improves reading…” (Graham, Steve, et al).

Treatment studies were included in the article as part of a meta-analysis, the results of which

were used to answer the question of whether “reading difficulties were still associated with poor
writing when reading capabilities were comparable” (Graham, Steve, et al.). Concluding the

meta-analysis, there is convincing evidence that reading and writing are connected. Based on

this, it can be inferred that those who struggle with writing may also be lacking in reading skills.

Source 2: Difficulty in Writing Perceived by University Students: A Comparison of Inaccurate

Writers with and without Diagnostic Certification

This article presents a study aimed at achieving two goals. First, the study was conducted to

compare students who were diagnosed with a learning disability (LD) and inaccurate writers not

diagnosed with LD, to identify which tasks were most challenging for individuals with LD.

Second, to “investigate whether inaccurate writers with and without a diagnosis differ in terms of

self-perceived difficulties” (Malagoli, Chiara, et. al.). It concludes with evidence supporting the

claim that students with LDs perceived more difficulties when compared to their undiagnosed

peers. The results of the study also suggest “the importance of addressing self-perception and

self-efficacy issues” of students, as it had an impact on writing task scores (Malagoli, Chiara, et.

al.).

Source 3: Student perceptions of difficulties in second language writing

For foreign language learners, writing is considered to be a difficult skill to master. The aim of

the study presented in this article is to “find out students’ perceptions of difficulties they come

across during their writing process in Writing Skills I-II courses” (Ceylan, O. N.). Data was

gathered via a questionnaire assessing the difficulties students face in writing. The results

showed that most students do not write as they don’t believe they would need such writing in the
future. They also had a lack of interest in the topics presented in these classes. It was also

indicated that students also lacked basic writing strategies. As supported by another source

previously listed, in order for students to become good writers, they must also become good

readers. It is through reading that they can gain insight on what is expected of them when

writing. Students must be guided with fundamental information in regards to writing, such as the

structure of a paragraph or essay. They should write more and be given feedback on their writing.

Source 4: The Interaction of Reading, Spelling, and Handwriting Difficulties With Writing

Development

Writing consists of various components, some of which include the following: reading, spelling,

and handwriting. The expectations surrounding writing increase as people progress through their

academics, so it becomes important to establish a foundation. For developing writers, acquiring

writing skills can be complex. This is especially true for children with learning disabilities. The

article presents a series of papers exploring the writing development of children with learning

disabilities. Children with dyslexia and/or handwriting problems had difficulties spelling, taking

notes, and even performing on tests. The article goes on to emphasize the need to change how

writing is taught, as some writing techniques prove redundant and unhelpful. A personal

takeaway from this article is that though writing is constantly changing, there is a need to change

what is taught to developing writers in school. As we progress into a more technologically

advanced society, the need to physically write or understand spelling is lessened. This causes an

emphasis to be placed on certain writing skills, and in-turn, making it more difficult for people to

succeed in writing in their later years.

Interest in this Topic

I’m interested in this topic because it is something that I’ve constantly seen throughout my

academic career. Personally, my journey to develop my writing was quite difficult. I found

difficulty in fundamental writing skills, including spelling and grammar. Though I started to find

some success in academic writing in recent years, this is not the case for everyone. While others

find success in writing, there are some who simply can’t get a hang of it. For a topic which is

crucial to one’s success in the world, finding the reason behind such a question would be very

beneficial for many.