Connie Allred

EDU 6391

4/20/17

Action Research Paper

The Effects of Daily Journaling

During my first few weeks in Beths class, she assigned me to plan and oversee the bi-

weekly journal writing. I really enjoyed coming up with writing prompts that related to our

topics of study and helping the students improve their writing style and skill. When the time

came for me to take over the class, Beth and I discussed incorporating journal writing into our

daily routine. Beth has a masters degree in early childhood development and she is a huge

proponent of journal writing in the early grades. I decided to research the topic myself so that I

could be effective in my instruction and support.

Early writing experiences enhance oral language, listening and reading (Chabon, 2006).

In her article Journal Writing in Kindergarten, Marjorie Hipple stressed the importance of

never referring to kindergarten journal writing as drawing (1985). The scribbles, random

letters, numerals and words that a child produces are language and contain meaning. Journaling

at this young age may sometimes consist of primarily writing depending on a childs language

development. By the time I entered the classroom, most of the students were able to produce a

detailed drawing as well as at least a few words to go along with their picture. Beth agreed with

the idea that the whole assignment should be referred to as writing rather than drawing

accompanied by some words. This did not seem to have any immediate effect but as the days

turned into weeks, the quality of the work turned into me definitely improved. If this is the result
of increased exposure or the fact that I validated their work by calling it writing instead of

drawing is hard to say.

While researching journaling, I kept coming across articles on allowing children to

choose their own writing topics. This has been something that has been discussed in my own

Writing Theory and Instruction class and has been given mixed reviews by my educator

classmates. Still, my interest was piqued. Up until this point, I had been creating the daily

prompts based on letters or words we were focusing on for that week or topics of study. The

students completed the journal entries but did so with a little trepidation. In her article on journal

writing, Shelly Chabon claims that allowing students to choose their own topics is an effective

way to increase language development as well as student interest and work quality (2006). I

brought this up with Beth and we both agreed upon a week of free-writes where the students

could pick their own topic. The first day blew me away! Students that would only write one

sentence maximum were writing paragraphs worth of material. They were excited about their

stories and were eager to share with me. Susan Cress of Indiana University states in her research

on interactive journaling that the dialogue between teacher and student is essential in the success

of journal writing (1998). The interaction between teacher and student enhances the oral

language, listening and reading skills that can be acquired through journal writing (Hipple,

1985). Because of this, I made journal writing a small group so that I would have the

opportunity to discuss each entry with each student. It was incredible to see their work and to

hear the thought process that went into each story or shared experience. After a week of free-

writes, we went back to writing on specific topics but made sure to let the students choose a

topic once or twice a week.

 Journaling quickly became one of my favorite parts of the day. It was fascinating to see

how quickly the quality of the work improved once we started having the students write every

day. The majority of the class really enjoyed it and it was a fun opportunity for me to get a little

window into the mind of a 6-year-old and to have a chance to talk to each of my students one-on-

one. Even though the research and implementation took place at an early childhood level, I have

no doubt that journal writing can be effective for older grades. I would encourage any

elementary school to incorporate journal writing into their curriculum. It may not be feasible to

do it every day, but once or twice a week may prove to be very beneficial.

Chabon, S. Use of Journal Writing in the Assessment of CSD Students Learning About Diversity.
Childrens Therapeutic Learning Center. 2006.

Cress, S. A Sense of Story: Interactive Journal Writing in Kindergarten. Early Childhood

Education Journal. 1998.

Hipple, M. Journal Writing in Kindergarten. Responding to What Kids Are Trying to Do p. 255-
261. National Council of Teachers of English. 1985.