Abstract:
In recent times there has been much debate about the literacy levels of students
in our schools. Federal and State Governments have provided extensive
resources to improve the literacy standards of our tertiary, primary and
secondary students. As part of this emphasis on literacy the role that writing
plays in student learning has been acknowledged. Recent research has shown
that the majority of student writing in secondary science classrooms is teacher
directed and used for student assessment. With much of what students write
being directed towards assessment it seems timely to research student and
teacher views of the role that writing plays in science classrooms. This report
uses a questionnaire, teacher interviews and an open-ended survey. Data
analysis indicated that teachers from all key learning areas agreed that
students' writing skills were lacking and that the students appeared to be
unable to successfully incorporate the use of subject specific terms to enhance
their writing. It was also found that students disliked writing. However,
they wanted to improve their writing skills as they perceived that good writing
skills were necessary to help them achieve their best and demonstrate their
learning at school.
