Abstract
The Problem. The decline of students' writing skills has been the basis of much concern, discussion and analysis. The primary assumption in this study is that writing at the secondary level could be improved through an emphasis upon writing skills across the curriculum of the school. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this study was to identify levels of teaching competence needed to teach writing in English, social science, mathematics, and science classes of the secondary school. Methodology. A list of student writing competencies was field-tested with a panel of thirty-two experts. Nineteen student writing competencies were then presented in a four part survey to identify attitudes about writing, the degree to which writing is needed for student success in each content area, the levels of teaching skill needed to assist students in developing writing competence, and perceptions of present skills of teachers. A random sample of 250 schools was drawn from California's 836 public high schools. Surveys were mailed to the principals and teachers in the subject areas under study. Information provided by the 592 participants was transferred to computer tape for analysis using the SPSS package. Findings. A total of sixty tables and narration presented: (1) conclusions as to why writing is not taught outside the English class, (2) identification of writing purposes, (3) analysis of the writing competencies needed in the content areas and (4) assessment of the level of teacher competence to teach writing in the content areas. Selected findings are as follows: (1) Writing is not the sole responsibility of the English teacher. (2) The basis for writing assignments is the development of logical thought processes. (3) Subject area teachers varied significantly in their perception of the nineteen writing competencies: English teachers assessed all as important in their subject area; social science teachers identified sixteen as important, science teachers similarly identified thirteen, and mathematics teachers assessed seven as important. (4) Teachers assessed all nineteen competencies as requiring "considerable" teaching skill. Eight writing skills were identified as most important for students in every subject area. In order of importance these were as follows: (1) Write an acceptable answer to an essay question. (2) Set forth facts and opinions to explain a main idea or belief as in expository writing. (3) Take notes, as in outlining or synthesizing from a class lecture or presentation. (4) Defend or attack a position or opinion as in argumentation. (5) Write a summary of the main points of a chapter or article. (6) Write a report of an experiment, process or problem solved, using a logical, developmental sequence. (7) Write legibly (assessed as not requiring considerable teaching skill). (8) Write a summary of what has been covered in class. Conclusions and Recommendations. (1) Present attitude is receptive to school-wide improvement programs. (2) Teachers have not received sufficient training to teach writing. (3) Teachers do not have the level of competence to teach writing in the content areas that they indicate they would like to have. (4) Data regarding teachers' desired competence levels support the need for in-service programs in teaching writing. (5) Data would tend to support increased emphasis upon the teaching of writing in teacher preparation programs.