Recent Research on
Improving Writing Content
Special education research has contributed
substantially to the development
of effective methods for teaching
students with writing problems to
compose more effectively. Students
have been taught structures for writing
fictional narratives. They have been
taught to analyze material learned in
the classroom, to write personal narratives
based on their own interpretations
of life experiences (Graham &
Harris, 1989b), and to compose persuasive
essays in which they take positions
on topical, social, and political issues
(Graham & Harris, 1989b; Wong,
Butler, Ficzere, & Kuperis, 1997). Students
have been taught to write analytic
essays, in which they compare
and contrast two or more concepts, objects,
people, or events.