| The purpose of this study was to implement a six week action research writing program innovation that connected to students' own life experiences (Heyer, 2009) in order to engage students, promote clarity of thought, and intellectual depth. Intending to inspire in students a fondness towards writing, the research questions were: (a) How does students' motivation and interest towards writing influence the student writing process, and (b) Does integrating students' writing, which reflects on their own life experiences, encourage thoughtful and provoking written responses? Within a suburban second and third grade combination class, 20 participants contributed to the collaborative class book prompt: Describe your own value and importance in the classroom or in the community. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected through pre- and post-surveys, interviews, and writing samples. Results indicated that participants perceived themselves as authors in a meaningful book and appreciated their peers' aspirations through creative, intrinsically motivating writing. |
