NSSE 2022 Topical Module Report
Experiences with Writing
University of Houston-Downtown
This module is the result of an ongoing collaboration between NSSE and the Council of Writing Program Administrators. The questions touch on three aspects of good writing assignments—interactivity, meaning-making, and clarity. It complements questions on the core survey about how much writing students do, the nature of their course assignments, and perceived gains in written expression.
Comparison group details are in the online Selected Comparison Groups report, linked in the Data & Reports table on the Institution Interface. A PDF copy is also saved in your report download folder.
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First-Year Students
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons
University of Houston-Downtown
Distributionsa Statistical Comparisonsb
WRI01a
1. During the current school year, for how many writing assignments have you done the following? Talked with a classmate, friend, or family member to develop your ideas before starting your assignment
Received feedback from a classmate, friend, or family member about a draft before turning in your final assignment
Given feedback to a classmate about a draft or outline
WRI01b
Summarized material you read such as articles, books, or online publications
WRI01c
Analyzed or evaluated something you read, researched, or observed
WRI01d
Described your methods or findings related to data you collected in lab or field work, a survey project, etc.
Argued a position using evidence and reasoning
WRI01e
WRI01f
WRI01g
First-Year Students
Explained in writing the meaning of numerical or statistical data
WRI01h
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons
University of Houston-Downtown
Written in the style and format of a specific field (engineering, history, psychology, etc.)
WRI01i
Addressed a real or imagined audience such as your classmates, a politician, non‐experts, etc.
WRI01j
2. During the current school year, for how many of your writing assignments have your instructors done the following? Provided clear instructions describing what they wanted you to do WRI02a
Explained in advance what they wanted you to learn
WRI02b
Explained in advance the criteria they would use to grade your assignment
WRI02c
Seniors
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons
University of Houston-Downtown
1. During the current school year, for how many writing assignments have you done the following?
Talked with a classmate, friend, or family member to develop your ideas before starting your assignment WRI01a
Received feedback from a classmate, friend, or family member about a draft before turning in your final assignment
WRI01b
Given feedback to a classmate about a draft or outline WRI01c
Summarized material you read such as articles, books, or online publications
WRI01d
Analyzed or evaluated something you read, researched, or observed WRI01e
Described your methods or findings related to data you collected in lab or field work, a survey project, etc.
WRI01f
Argued a position using evidence and reasoning WRI01g
Seniors
Explained in writing the meaning of numerical or statistical data
WRI01h
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Frequencies and Statistical Comparisons
University of Houston-Downtown
Written in the style and format of a specific field (engineering, history, psychology, etc.)
WRI01i
Addressed a real or imagined audience such as your classmates, a politician, non‐experts, etc.
WRI01j
2. During the current school year, for how many of your writing assignments have your instructors done the following? Provided clear instructions describing what they wanted you to do WRI02a
Explained in advance what they wanted you to learn
WRI02b
Explained in advance the criteria they would use to grade your assignment
WRI02c
First-Year Students
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Detailed Statisticse University of Houston-Downtown
Seniors
NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing
Detailed Statisticse University of Houston-Downtown
Endnotes
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NSSE 2022 Experiences with Writing Endnotes
University of Houston-Downtown
Column percentages are weighted by institution-reported sex and enrollment status (and institution size for comparison groups). Percentages may not sum to 100 due to rounding. Counts are unweighted; column percentages cannot be replicated from counts. Comparison group details are in the Selected Comparison Groups report, linked in the Data & Reports table on the Institution Interface.
All statistics are weighted by institution-reported sex and enrollment status (and institution size for comparison groups). Unless otherwise noted, statistical comparisons are two-tailed independent t-tests. Items with categorical response sets are left blank.
These are the values used to calculate means. For the majority of items, these values match the codes in the data file and codebook.
Effect size for independent t- tests uses Cohen's d ; z- tests use Cohen's h
Statistics are weighted by institution-reported sex and enrollment status (and institution size for comparison groups). Categorical items are not listed.
f. The 95% confidence interval for the population mean is equal to the sample mean plus or minus 1.96 times the standard error of the mean.
g. A measure of the amount individual scores deviate from the mean of all the scores in the distribution.
h.
i. j.
k.
Degrees of freedom used to compute the t-tests. Values differ from Ns due to weighting and whether equal variances were assumed.
Statistical comparisons are two-tailed independent t -tests or z -tests. Statistical significance represents the probability that the difference between your students' mean and that of the students in the comparison group is due to chance.
Statistical comparison uses z- test to compare the proportion who responded (depending on the item) "Done or in progress" or "Yes" with all who responded otherwise.
Mean represents the proportion who responded (depending on the item) “Done or in progress” or "Yes."
Key to symbols:
▲ Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size at least .3 in magnitude.
△ Your students’ average was significantly higher (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude.
▽ Your students’ average was significantly lower (p < .05) with an effect size less than .3 in magnitude.
▼ Your students’ average was significantly lower (p < .05) with an effect size at least .3 in magnitude.
Note: It is important to interpret the direction of differences relative to item wording and your institutional context. You may not see all of these symbols in your report.