This paper reports on a study which investigated the effectiveness of an explicit instruction approach in a Japanese university setting with third-year science and technology students in an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) course. The two aims of this study were: 1) to explore changes in students' attitudes and understanding of summary writing,…

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of Data-Driven Learning (DDL) teaching materials based on learner corpus data. The data analysed is made up of texts written by a group of Italian university students and collected as part of the Italian component of the "Longitudinal Database of Learner English" (LONGDALE) project:…

The effective design and use of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools in developing English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' writing skill and learner autonomy have remained great challenges for system designers, developers, and EFL instructors compared with that of the pencil-paper writing in the context of regular teacher-fronted…

The purpose of this study was to examine the intersection between and among creativity, cognition, composition, and community. Researchers studied hundreds of adult students from several California community colleges and private universities by means of surveys, observations, and interviews to augment an extensive historical literature review.…

With massive utilization of Automated Writing Evaluation (AWE) tools, it is feasible to detect English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners' lexical application so as to improve their writing quality. This study aims to explore Chinese EFL learners' lexical application to see if AWE-based writing can bring about positive effects of lexicon on…

For many years, writing centers have based their pedagogy on "collaboration." Now it is time to reflectively examine whether tutorial collaborations actually correspond to those definitions on which it is generally assumed they are based. Current practices assume that "collaborative" practices include non-authoritative pedagogy…

A collaborative, oral-history, writer's workshop was held in an undergraduate college reading class. Sixty-five students each taped an interview on literacy life-experiences with a self-described reluctant reader at the middle or high school level, and wrote a narrative based on the interview. Students worked together in groups on their…

Writing is an act of self construction. Considering how students process information can improve the quality of instruction in composing courses, but only if quantifiable, verified models of cognitive functions are taken to heart and applied to teaching methods in the classroom. C. G. Jung's model of the four functions (thinking, sensation,…

After an introduction by James L. Marra explaining the Intellectual Heritage Program at the College of Art and Sciences at Temple University (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), this paper presents four brief faculty essays describing various techniques that the writers use in their classes in the program. The techniques discussed in the paper are…

In a study to determine whether the writing apprehension of college writers is diminished by regular freewriting and whether apprehension affects the quality of writing, two experimental classes spent ten minutes freewriting each day while two control classes spent ten minutes on vocabulary building. The pretest and posttest consisted to two…

This paper provides an overview of some recent work in automated essay scoring that focuses on writing improvement at the postsecondary level. The paper illustrates the Vantage Intellimetric (tm) automated essay scorer that is being used as part of a Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) project that uses technology to grade…

This protocol study: (1) tested the instructional use of a model of the decision processes involved in revising after feedback; (2) examined whether feedback specifying a text problem was a stronger cue to revision than feedback summarizing the point of a paragraph or predicting forthcoming text; and (3) compared the quality of texts revised after…

The term "peer" is often used to mean both tutor and tutee, but writing center directors should avoid romanticizing the notion of peer tutoring and recognize that peer tutors are considerably more advanced, and therefore more "powerful", than their tutees. In fact, the question of difference between tutors and tutees is a vital…

A study examined the re-entry female student as a composite of the various roles she plays, and also traced the changes that occurred during her first semester in college, specifically in composition class. Internal and external factors, both positive and negative; the writing process itself; and the mode and focus of instruction during that…

After students recommended books by M. E. Kerr, such as "Is That You, Miss Blue?" and "Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack," a college teacher realized that Kerr's books contained memorable characters and were suitable for classroom use. Particularly useful was Kerr's 1983 nonfiction book, "Me, Me, Me, Me, Me," which recounts…