APA Style Writing Instruction in Graduate Education

Abstract

Writing skills are important for graduate students to be successful in their academic programs. However, some graduate students are underprepared for the rigor of academic writing. A doctor of education student designed an APA Style writing workshop using a systematic method outlined by Dick, Carey, and Carey (2015). The workshop included online videos, group discussion, online quiz games, a hands-on activity, handouts, and a PowerPoint lecture. The current study assessed the effectiveness of the workshop on teaching select elements of APA Style writing. The results of the repeated measures design indicate that the instruction increased participants’ (N = 19) knowledge of elements of APA Style and reduced the number of errors participants made in written references, including those participants with prior formal APA Style instruction. Additionally, there appears to be a demand among graduate students for more support in the development of their writing skills.