Examining performance indicators for a written expression test based on the curriculum

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationships between students' word-level reading competency, verbal working memory, and performance on a curriculum-based narrative writing exam (N = 42; 23 males). Composition quality and CMIWS, an abbreviation that stands for correct minus incorrect word sequences, were the outcomes evaluated in this study. CMIWS is an abbreviation for "Creation of suitable text grammar and spelling." This is what the acronym means. The CMIWS scores and the total quality score did not strongly correlate. As a predictor of CMIWS, word reading ability fared significantly better than gender, grade level, the automaticity of handwriting, and working memory. This is because having a strong reading ability lowered the amount of variety in the data. Reading fluency remained a strong predictor of composition quality even when other factors, such as the writer's gender and the degree to which their handwriting was automatic, were considered. An updating task was used to evaluate working memory; however, the results did not indicate that it was a unique or significant predictor of CMIWS or composition quality. In addition, it was found that scores on the CMIWS varied depending on grade (the findings for grade 5 were higher than those for grade 4) and gender. Grade 5 scores were higher than grade 4 (girls had higher scores than males). Even though there is a correlation between automaticity in handwriting and both CMIWS scores and writing quality, automaticity in handwriting alone cannot be used to predict any of these measures. The findings support the hypothesis that the CMIWS indicator is sensitive to variations in the environment in which it is located. When evaluating children's writing abilities and developing instructional strategies for children who struggle with writing, it is essential to consider not only the children's reading fluency but also the amount of automaticity in their handwriting. As highlighted by these outcomes, the importance of taking this step cannot be overstated.