Nose to the grindstone: The role of task effort in elementary-aged students' text generation

Although task effort has been identified as an underlying factor in students' writing performance (Hier & Mahony, 2018), the relationship between elementary students' writing task effort and their writing performance has not been examined. This study investigated students' perceived task effort after each session of a class-wide writing intervention, examining whether it predicted postintervention writing performance. The sample included 88 third-grade students participating in a randomized controlled trial assessing the efficacy of a writing performance feedback intervention. Results indicated that students' task effort ratings remained consistently high throughout the intervention. Additionally, students' writing productivity increased from pre- to postintervention and higher task effort was significantly associated with increased writing productivity. Considerations regarding the use of students' self-reports of task effort, as well as the limitations of the study, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).