This repeated measures survey study extends our earlier study (Zhao et al. in Reading and Writing, 1-24, 2024) by examining the stability and changes in Chinese primary school teachers’ practices and beliefs about teaching writing over a school year. Participants were 157 Grade 2 and Grade 3 Chinese language art teachers from an Eastern province in China. Results demonstrated that over the academic year, teachers maintained consistent writing instruction practices, predominantly using a balanced approach that combined traditional skills-based and process-oriented strategies. Time allocated to writing instruction and student writing practice remained stable over the school year. Although teachers employed similar types of writing tasks across the two semesters, changes were observed in four task types. Compared with the fall semester, in the spring semester, more Grade 2 teachers assigned personal narratives, summaries, and poems, while fewer Grade 3 teachers used journal writing. Teachers used most instructional practices (34 out of 40) with similar frequency across the school year. However, six practices showed notable changes. In both grades, teachers more frequently taught skills of text organization and asked students to write with parental help, while publishing and communication with parents decreased. Grade 2 teachers increased the use of writing prompts and peer dictation, whereas Grade 3 teachers maintained the use of writing prompts but reduced peer dictation. Though teachers held positive attitudes toward writing and teaching writing in both semesters, these attitudes were somewhat less positive during the spring semester. Teachers’ beliefs in the fall significantly predicted their instructional practices in the subsequent semester. Explanations for the persistent patterns and observed changes across semesters are provided, along with recommendations for writing instruction and teacher training in writing.
