Abstract
Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is as evidence-based writing practice and has been applied with youth in restrictive education settings to address writing issues. This chapter will describe the writing characteristics of youth in these settings, synthesize SRSD applications in persuasive/informational genres specific to this population, and discuss the measures employed. The chapter concludes with implications for research, implications for practitioners and researchers, and considerations for integrating SRSD into treatment and programming for youth in these settings. A list of SRSD contextual considerations and resources with websites is provided in the appendix section. A list of key terms, definitions, and additional readings are provided.
TopBackground
Writing Characteristics of Youth in Restrictive Education Settings
As youth navigate through K-12 education, writing becomes an important skill to demonstrate learning (Ennis et al., 2014). Youth need to be able to organize, plan, and use details to support an argument, to share their point of view, or to summarize content. Typically, youth in restrictive education settings (e.g., self-contained day schools, residential school facilities, residential treatment centers, juvenile justice facilities) display a range of academic, emotional, and behavioral needs. Due to these complex and comorbid needs, many of these youth struggle with the writing process (e.g., organization, planning, writing stamina) and often display challenging behaviors during instruction impeding their use of self-regulatory skills (Ennis et al., 2014; Ennis et al., 2019). As a result, youth writing performance and self-efficacy is negatively impacted, leading to additional lack of motivation to engage in current and future writing tasks or participate in writing instruction. The field’s understanding of the writing characteristics of this population is limited to the brief characteristic descriptions of study participants in published literature and a few archival education record reviews of youth in a residential treatment facility. But what is clear, youth in restrictive education settings present with marked gaps in their foundational writing skills which persist across writing genres as well as their lifelong without direct intervention.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Self-Regulation Strategy Development: A form of strategy instruction that combines instruction of an academic skill and self-regulation components.
Informational Writing: A form of writing meant to convey facts and information.
Persuasive Writing: A form of writing meant to convince the reader to agree with the author.
Self-Determination: The ability to advocate and control aspects of one’s own life.
Strategy Instruction: An instructional approach that teaches students how to learn a particular skill or practice that facilitates learning.
Juvenile Justice Facilities: Ordered out of home placements by judges to provide habilitation and rehabilitation; can be secure or non-secure residential care.
Self-Regulation: The ability to monitor and manage thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Restrictive Education Settings: Those outside the purview typical education settings (e.g., self-contained day schools, residential school facilities, residential treatment centers, juvenile justice facilities).
Residential Treatment Centers: Out of home placements to meet specific treatment and programming needs of population (e.g., behavioral health, substance abuse, assessment facilities).