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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

college writing experience, high school students, self-efficacy

College

Humanities

Department

English

Abstract

Recently, studies have been conducted to measure the effects of mentored writing experiences on people struggling with low self-efficacy. Some studies intervene in high security prisons, where people with low self-perception reside. Writing has proven to help restore a sense of dignity in prison inmates because of its expressive nature. When people are encouraged and praised for their writing by mentors, especially when the writing is personal, they begin to have an increased sense of self-efficacy. Other studies have been conducted in middle schools, seeking to intervene with struggling writers before they get to high school. These studies are done in attempts to fight the school-to-prison pipeline, which is a national trend that shows how at-risk and academically struggling students are isolated in schools because of their differences, and drop out as a result. Many of these students then turn to alternate methods of living, often turning to crime. So there is significant research to show the correlation between students whose unique situations are ignored in schools, and those who end up dropping out and turning to crime. However, there is a gap in the research when it comes to high school students. I researched the effects of a mentored writing experience for at-risk high school students to see if an experience like this could change students’ perceptions of themselves as writers, and as future college students.

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