A survey of coordinators and tutors in 50 adult-literacy programs in western Canada examined program activities involving writing; amount and type of instruction devoted to writing; and staff attitudes about the value of writing in the program, their own writing skills, potential of writing as a self-development tool, and professional-development…

Offers an overview of changing attitudes towards the place of mechanics in writing instruction, as documented in "College Composition and Communication" over the 50 years of the journal's existence. Argues that the role of formal correctness within each instructor's teaching depends on the purposes, goals, and contexts of each writing…

This study investigates the approaches adopted by students to a university writing programme designed to help them learn first-year undergraduate science. The research design includes phenomenographic analyses of 19 interviews and 50 open-ended questionnaires, as well as quantitative analyses of the qualitative data. The main results of the study…

Of poor academic skills, perhaps the most prevalent among at-risk students is the lack of ability to compose--to develop ideas in print. Providing opportunities to learn that skill opens a whole new world for young people who believe they are incapable of learning. This paper describes writing instruction that was provided over a 4-year period in…

The English Department and the composition class are mired in the trappings of Romanticism. Romanticism ingratiates itself, mostly in infatuation with the writing process, but with some other fetishes as well. The "whitecentric" character of that Romanticism imbues instruction; it is not just innocuous and "old hat," but really damaging. Students…

This second issue of a new journal presents six essays all on the theme of the imagination. New programming at the Touchstone Center has begun to focus on the importance of finding new forums for reflecting upon the place of the imagination in people's lives. The essays in this issue come from presenters in recent public lectures and workshops…

A faculty member at the University of Toronto (Ontario) developed an informal survey designed to assess her undergraduate students' views of the writing they did during the course of their university studies. The survey consisted of a 2-page questionnaire that could be completed in 5 to 10 minutes; it was administered to 722 students during the…

Drawing on findings from psychology, anthropology, and sociology, this book examines motivation for writing and connects writing with the roles each person plays--in the family, the workplace, and in social and cultural groups including school--and with the lifelong search for potential new roles. As a blueprint for changing the writing of college…

This study examined the writing profiles of three Japanese writers with distinctly different writing experiences, investigating participants' school writing experiences and attitudes toward writing, characteristics of the composing process, and teaching implications. The three Japanese participants included an experienced writer in both Japanese…

This brochure for parents reflects the position statement "Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children," jointly issued by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the International Reading Association (IRA). The brochure discusses ten simple suggestions for parents…

A yearlong study investigated the effects of whole language-based instruction on the writing development of eight Spanish-speaking and eight English-speaking kindergarten children. The writing skills of the Spanish-speaking children developed similarly to those of the English-speaking children, refuting rationales used to place Spanish-speaking…

Describes the author's experiences teaching composition to inmates at a women's minimum security prison. Describes how these students wrote with alacrity and passion, using writing as a tool to solve problems and enlighten. Discusses how mandated curriculum and assignment requirements were met, revisions made and issues of dialect discussed, while…

Studied children's perceptions of what constitutes good writing to see how those might better inform the teacher's instruction. Found that when supported by peers and teachers, the children were able to balance their need to produce conventionally correct writing with their need to make writing interesting to themselves and others. (Author)

A writing seminar on the writing process required senior students at Rollins College (Florida) to bring to class with them piles of their previous compositions and drafts. Their first assignment was to research the composing process of a well-known writer and then write a paper about it. After that, they turned to their own work. The objective was…

Describes how one teacher dealt with a rebellious sophomore Honors English student and how they learned to listen to each other. (MG)