From Cognition to Writing—Planning Activities in Digital Argumentative Texts of Ninth Graders in Two Different School Types

Abstract

Winnie-Karen Giera, Lucas Deutzmann* and Subhan Sheikh Muhammad

This pilot study investigates the role of planning activities in digital argumentative texts of ninth graders in two different school types—in shaping the quality of argumentative writing among 357 ninth-grade students in Germany. This is a sub-study that is part of a bigger research project. It aims - building on cognitive models of writing and executive functioning- to investigate how time spent on writing, time spent on planning, and switching behaviour between a writing plan and text field predict writing quality. Using a quasi-experimental, longitudinal design, data was collected digitally via Gorilla Experiment Builder at four measurement points in six secondary schools representing both higher and lower academic tracks. The digital writing environment allowed for the detailed logging of student activity, including writing time, planning time, and frequency of between writing field and writing plan. The results from the correlation and regression analyses show that writing time and switching behaviour are significant predictors of text quality, whereas planning time had nonsignificant or weak association with switching activity. The students in lower academic tracks spent more time planning and writing but produced lower-quality texts, suggesting a differential reliance on external scaffolding. The findings underscore the importance of cognitive flexibility in writing and highlight the potential of digital planning tools to support writing development, especially among students with fewer prior skills. The implications for writing instruction and assessment are also discussed.

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