Pedagogies: An International Journal Vol. 6, No. 4, October–December 2011, 273–295 Approaches to writing instruction Sarah J. McCarthey a * and Yeon Sun (Ellie) Ro b a Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA; b Instruction Curriculum Leadership, College of Education, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA (Received 2 July 2009; final version received 19 March 2010) The study investigated 29 third- and fourth-grade teachers from four US states to understand their approaches to writing instruction and influences on their instruction. Through classroom observations and interviews with teachers, the authors identified four approaches to writing instruction: writer’s workshop, traditional skills, genre-based instruction and hybrid/eclectic. The data demonstrate that process writing in the form of writer’s workshop and traditional skills instruction are still occurring in schools. However, the study showed a newer trend in writing instruction – many teachers are using graphic organizers and attending to specific genres. The study showed that professional development and state standards are major influences on teachers’ instruction. Keywords: writing; instruction; teachers Introduction Studies from different theoretical frameworks have examined children’s writing processes, the development of genre in young children and the social contexts that support writing (Bazerman, 2008; Chapman, 2006). Despite the continued interest in research on writing, the National Commission on Writing in American Schools and Colleges (2003) found that writing is the neglected “R” and that there is a lack of a comprehensive policy on writ- ing, not enough time devoted to writing, inadequate assessment of writing and not enough professional development. The Commission has made recommendations that include com- prehensive policies to support writing, the need for standards, integration of technology and professional development. Applebee and Langer (2009) examined current trends in student achievement, amount of writing, technology use and professional development for English teachers at the middle and high-school levels using the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data. They suggest that on-demand writing for assessment purposes does not align with instruction that emphasizes process writing and revision. In the light of the Commission’s call for school reform and the findings of Applebee and Langer for secondary students, it is important to understand the types of writing instruc- tion that occur at the elementary level, where laying the foundation of writing strategies and motivation for writing is essential. As Applebee and Langer noted, the context of schooling in the United States has changed with the federal legislation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB; US Department of Education, 2001) and the emphasis on standards and *Corresponding author. Email: mccarthe@illinois.edu ISSN 1554-480X print/ISSN 1554-4818 online © 2011 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/1554480X.2011.604902 http://www.informaworld.com