An analysis depicting high school students' exploration of writing: Looking at the effects of process and traditional writing and researching how the approaches motivate or frustrate student writing

Although writing is an important form of communication, many students write poorly. This thesis seeks to discover the causes of this failure and includes research that discusses methods for leading students to new levels of success in the writing classroom. This thesis gives attention to how students best develop writing and thinking skills and how educators can help enhance students' development. The study includes data collected from 61 writing students responding to specific questions and writing to selected prompts as well as contemporary writing professionals' beliefs as to how writing is best learned. Research collected indicates the desire to write successfully lies in self-exploration and opportunities to expand awareness through writing. Frustration in high school writers stems from traditional writing instruction coupled with writers' lack of specific knowledge about subjects embedded in writing prompts.