Individual differences in the writing behaviour of undergraduate students

Background. Writing is an important skill required in all graduate employme nt but we lack information on the most effective ways to write, and how to foster writing expertise in students. It is widely held that writers evolve characteristic patterns of working (strategies), and that these strategies are important for writing success and efficiency. Most of the available da ta on the writing strategies of expert writers, however, consist of questio nnaire responses produced some time after writing itself, and it would be h elpful to have more direct information on writing strategies and their effe cts. Aims. To establish whether student writers develop stable writing strategie s, and to examine the relation, if any, between writing strategy and writin g success. Sample. Twenty-five first year undergraduate students studying for a degree in psychology. Methods. Records of their writing activities were completed by students con currently with writing each of two essays (term papers). Results. Analysis of the records identified patterns of working which diffe red across individuals. Nearly three-quarters of the students displayed the same pattern of writing behaviour (strategy) for both their essays. The st rategies identified from the activity records were broadly consistent with the descriptions of writing behaviour derived from previous questionnaire s tudies. There was, however, no significant association between writing stra tegy and essay mark. Conclusion. Many students evolve stable writing strategies, which may diffe r across students. Most of these strategies seem adequately effective in te rms of producing course essays. Consequently, unless a student complains of writing difficulties, then tolerance of a range of approaches may be desir able in writing instruction.