The Please Strategy: A Metacognitive Learning Strategy for Improving the Paragraph Writing of Students with Mild Learning Disabilities

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of a metacognitive strategy, the PLEASE strategy, for teaching students with learning disabilities to write paragraphs. The investigation examined (a) students' metacognitive knowledge about prewriting planning, composition, revision, and parts of the paragraph; (b) student writing samples; and (c) student attitudes toward writing paragraphs. Results suggest that, compared to the traditional language arts curriculum used with a comparison group, the experimental treatment was significantly more effective in developing the metacognitive abilities of 6th graders with learning disabilities for prewriting planning, composition, and revision. Findings also suggest that students' attitude toward writing and writing instruction improved significantly following the experimental treatment.