Author Identifier (ORCID)
Anabela Malpique: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1683-9906
Abstract
Using multilevel modeling, the current study examined student-level predictors of compositional quality and productivity in Grade 2 Australian children (N = 544), including handwriting automaticity, literacy skills, executive functioning, writing attitudes, and gender; and classroom-level (n = 47) variables predicting students’ writing outcomes, including the amount of time for writing practices and the explicit teaching of foundational (handwriting, spelling, grammar) and process writing skills (planning and revision strategies). Multilevel analyses revealed that student-level factors, including gender, general attitudes, and transcription skills (handwriting automaticity and spelling), were key predictors of writing outcomes. Interaction analyses showed that spelling and word reading influenced writing outcomes, with effects varying by gender. At the classroom-level, time spent on planning had a positive effect on students’ compositional quality, and time spent on spelling instruction had a negative effect on students’ compositional productivity. Implications for research and education are discussed.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Volume
43
Issue
1
Publication Title
Written Communication
Publisher
Sage
School
School of Education
Funders
The Ian Potter Foundation (ID20190465)
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
First Page
41
Last Page
76
Comments
Malpique, A., Asil, M., Pino-Pasternak, D., & Valcan, D. (2026). The contributions of student-level and classroom-level factors for Australian grade 2 students’ writing performance. Written Communication, 43(1), 41-76. https://doi.org/10.1177/07410883251346405