Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management

Publishing in the Blogosphere: Impacts on Students’ Professional Writing
Jennifer N. Lancaster, Kayla Peak, Billy Jack Ray

Abstract
Purpose: To determine if writing weekly blog posts with peer-editing will improve graduate students’ professional writing skills, as well as their confidence in and attitudes toward their professional writing Methodology: Students wrote 10 weekly blog posts on topics of their choice, using APA format and 2 cited peer-reviewed references. Weekly, they completed peer editing and received edits from the instructor before posting a final draft of the blog online. A rubric was used to evaluate changes in writing skills from the first to the final blog post. Additionally, a focus group discussion was completed at the end of the experience to evaluate students’ attitudes and perceptions. Findings: Three of the 4 writing skills and the overall average rubric scores improved significantly from the first to the last blog post. Throughout the focus group discussion, a few themes surfaced including accountability for one’s writing, exposure to a wide audience, improvement in writing skills, a sense of purpose/importance, and a better appreciation for the importance of good writing skills. Practical Implications: Blogging can have a profound impact on the writing skills, confidence, and attitudes of collegiate students. This is a unique approach to teaching professional writing and research skills in the collegiate setting.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jpesm.v2n1a2