Compares German and French preschool children's attitudes about school and literacy. Notes that French preschools aim to prepare children for primary education, whereas German preschools give priority to learning through play. Finds that children developed attitudes in line with their preschool system and that only French children from deprived…

Presents an analysis of teachers' perceptions of themselves as writers with the goal of understanding how teachers' writing ability affects their work and qualifications as writing instructors. Places 32 teachers participating in a 3-day inservice writing workshop into 3 separate "identity concepts" (categories) and a fourth miscellaneous group.…

Argues that conventional definitions of literacy are too narrow. Examines weekly tallies of two adolescent girls' use of time, engaging in various discourse forms in school and other settings. Argues for an expanded view of literacy in the content areas, and notes ways literacy might be reconceptualized in content area classrooms. (SR)

Explores claims about creative writing through students' experiences in a summer introductory fiction workshop for non-English majors. Suggests that in writing instruction, the critical and the creative need to go hand in hand. Concludes that critical reflection on the makings and use of stories is crucial for students planning careers in…

Summarizes 24 authors' attitudes and experiences in electronic authorship: its challenges, advantages, and disadvantages. Offers suggestions to guide authors who want to publish electronically. (SR)

Reflects on the statement, "Literature should be removed from the center of the English curriculum and become part of the study of language that should be at the center." Tries to "clear the way" for students to write passionately about their lives and feelings and encourages students to explore their thinking through reading…

Notes that portfolios are a valuable classroom practice and one with many applications to the world students will enter when they leave the classroom, but the use of portfolios to assess distorts the concept and weakens its effectiveness. Discourages the use of portfolios for assessment. Concludes that portfolios are not about assessment; they are…

Investigates effects of a structured procedure for collaborative writing (in 2 formats) on the quality of creative writing and attitudes to writing in 8-year-old children. Finds that both formats of collaborative creative writing could be effective; however, ensuring short term gains for the more able helpers in cross-ability pairs could be…

Conducts case studies of proficient undergraduate writers from working-class backgrounds in the context of a course preparing sophomore and junior students to be tutors for first-year basic writers. Finds that students explained their experiences suggesting a greater degree of agency, an awareness of themselves as writers in a "contact zone," and…

Reports on a year-long study of how children's literacy practices enhanced their understanding of themselves and their social worlds. Finds that children's reading and writing benefited them personally and socially, enabling them to understand a complex urban landscape, to explore new social identities, and to wrestle with social problems and ways…

Examines the extent to which asking 20 entry-level and 19 basic-level college writing students to articulate their initial intentions for writing facilitated the identification of 3 kinds of instructional problems students face in moving from intentions to texts. Suggests that students with useful initial intentions write more effective texts than…

Presents and discusses a study of 129 first-year composition students that identifies both their expectations and frustrations. Focuses on how such results demonstrate students' ambivalence about classes and educators as well as their ability to function as effective writers. (SG)

Investigates validity and reliability of a teacher efficacy instrument designed specifically for the area of writing. Notes a factor analysis yielded two dimensions, and that both factors were reliable and only slightly correlated with each other. Finds reported classroom practices of high- and low-efficacy teachers differed, and that variation in…

The purpose of this paper is to present a detailed analysis of the style of exemplary first-year writing in order to establish and understand those features of written discourse that first-year writing teachers most value and reward. Having established the stylistic features of exemplary first-year writing, the paper goes on to provide first-year…

Focused freewriting, broadly defined as writing without stopping and editing about a specific topic, has been viewed and used as a powerful tool for developing student writing in a wide spectrum of educational contexts. This study aimed to further explore the use of focused freewriting in the context of promoting students' academic skills…