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One of the major questions in pedagogical research is whether the effects of educational interventions are maintained in the long term. In the field of writing, the effectiveness of the "Self-Regulated Strategy Development" (SRSD) method for improving text quality in the short term is well-documented. However, there is little data on what happens to these skills once the intervention ends. This study precisely addressed this issue, analyzing the durability of this learning 18 months after the training.

To do this, we designed a large-scale longitudinal study with 909 students from 2nd and 4th grade from twelve schools. We randomly assigned the centers to an intervention group or a control group (which followed usual classroom practice). The intervention group received 11 SRSD instruction sessions focused on teaching strategies for planning opinion texts. We assessed three key measures: planning quality, the number of structural elements (opinion, reasons, explanations, conclusion), and text quality. We collected data at five points in time: before the intervention, immediately after, and in three follow-ups: after one month, at six months, and at 18 months.

The results confirmed that the benefits of the SRSD intervention are extraordinarily durable. Eighteen months after finishing the training, students in the SRSD group still produced texts with significantly better planning and more structural elements than the control group. Furthermore, their scores on these measures remained significantly above their own starting point.

However, it should be noted that we observed a clear decrease in the magnitude of the benefits over time. The peak skill level achieved just after the intervention progressively declined throughout the follow-ups. This decline suggests that, without active practice, the benefits tend to diminish. We also detected a relevant difference by educational stage: 4th-grade students retained the benefits longer than 2nd-grade students on most measures.

This evidence has direct educational implications. First, effective writing instruction cannot be an isolated or one-time event. Our results underscore the need for continued support and active practice to maintain and consolidate the long-term benefits of instruction. Second, the study demonstrates that younger students (2nd grade) are capable of learning, applying, and retaining high-level writing skills, such as planning a complex writing genre. This suggests that current curricula might be underestimating their capabilities and that the introduction of this type of instruction could be advanced to earlier stages.