Presents a qualitative research study which thematically analyzes e-mail conversations exchanged by graduate students in a developmental writing program. Focuses on the relationship between these teachers and their students and addresses key issues in basic writing theory and practice. Suggests that graduate students can offer a unique perspective…

I conducted teacher research in a basic writing computer classroom to discover what two basic writers brought to the computer classroom that could complicate their interactions with technology and their ability to write with computers during our class. My discussion is twofold: First, I explore the writers' differing attitudes towards computers,…

In a basic-level writing course at the University of Minnesota, students were asked to read and engage in intelligent conservation about Keith Gilyard's "Voices of the Self." The book is about education but alternates autobiographical material with scholarly analysis. Literacy researchers expect students to read a text, understand what…

This paper draws on research that was conducted in a computer-mediated basic writing class taught during the Fall of 1994--the study focused on how computer mediated communication influences students' discourse strategies. The paper discusses how the act of "writing up" a research report constructed the subjectivity of the researcher and…

This book is intended to be both a biography of an extraordinary woman and a historical account of events leading to Open Admissions within the City University of New York (CUNY) in 1970, wherein every graduate of a New York City high school was guaranteed a place within the CUNY system. The book profiles Mina Shaugnessy, who devoted her…

Drawing from a review of the literature on feedback in two fields, English education and social psychology, this paper sets forth a set of theoretical conclusions and practical suggestions for developmental English instructors and others to use in providing feedback to composition students. First, the research on written feedback in English…

Focusing on culturally diverse students and the adequacy of efforts to help them succeed in college, this book presents an ethnographic study of the basic writing course, a central element of the adjustment between academe and nontraditional students. The research site, pseudonymously called Dover Park University for purposes of this account of…

A basic writing course instructor attempted to facilitate her students' survival in the academy by demystifying writing conventions while teaching them how to analyze discourses about literacy, especially in relation to cultural and economic forces. Students were asked to design an ideal basic writing course as a final journal assignment.…

Although successful by some standards, the basic writing program at Ball State University, Indiana, was altered over a period of several years because it was making incompatible demands on teachers and students alike. Public perception of the course allowed teachers some flexibility in writing instruction, but it demanded instruction in grammar…

College composition instructors have the opportunity to take a step toward meeting the needs of a pluralistic society by defining a developmental writing curriculum that incorporates the same strategies that characterize the mainstream writing classroom. The "cognitive deficiency model" that characterizes most instruction in…

A study investigated whether there were significant differences between male and female basic writers, examining the writing processes and products of 19 male and female college freshmen basic writers in a university and 33 male and female freshmen basic writers in a junior college. Results indicated that both groups of students, male and female…

This paper discusses the similarities in the difficulties that developmental writers and non-native English speakers/writers bring to the classroom and how this can influence instructors' choices of pedagogical strategies. The paper proposes a method of teaching that encourages teacher comfort with basic writing such that student work remains the…

This book provides students with the kind of extra help they will need to meet the demands of their first-year writing course as well as their other courses. Through its highly visual, student-centered approach, the book teaches basic skills and engages students immediately in the thinking-writing process, guiding them through the writing…

Describes a successful interdepartmental program at a major research-oriented university that melds freshman writing with freshman biology. Extensive, repeated feedback on individual student writing projects from two instructors appears to work synergistically so that student learning is significantly enhanced. Particulars derived from five years…

Explains how the search feature available with most word processing programs can reinforce grammar and proofreading skills, helping students focus on grammatical agreement, comma usage, and sentence fragments. Discusses student responses to the technique. (DMM)