Presents findings from 18 reviewed studies with regard to attitude and the quality of writing performance. Discusses pedagogy and the problem of defining basic writers. Suggests research directions that can help move educators toward a new pedagogy. (MG)

Recounts an interview with the Kansas author of children's books, Bill Martin, Jr. Reveals details of his childhood in Hiawatha, Kansas, his family, his early difficulties reading and writing, his writing processes, and his collaboration with other writers. (PRA)

Describes how one sixth-grade language arts class joined a computer network where students could exchange writing about topics they selected for themselves. Shows how students' excitement grew and how their writing skills improved naturally. (SR)

Describes a method the author has used successfully with elementary school classes that enables students to enjoy the process of revision in their prose-writing. Notes that the exercises can be used in any time frame or circumstance. (SR)

Addresses the role of affect in writing by describing the psychological construct of writer self-efficacy. Presents the Writer Self-Perception Scale that teachers may use to assess classroom writing climates and children's perceptions of themselves as writers. Describes the instrument, its administration and scoring, assessment and instructional…

Examines a collaborative inquiry study group that provides a context for increased engagement and risk-taking by a struggling, young writer. Captures the process of one child's literacy activities during six weeks of inquiry study that transformed his attitude toward reading and writing as well as his confidence in his own capabilities. (SG)

Addresses two kinds of writers: (1) writers who seem to want approval more than feedback; and (2) writers who refuse to do all but the bare minimum. Presents several strategies to address these writers and notes that these strategies can help educators critically examine their beliefs about what a Writing Center should accomplish. (SC)

Theorizes about what the notions of personhood and intertextuality contribute to the conception of literacy teaching and learning. Presents an analytical framework for understanding interrelationships among personhood, literacy practices, and intertextuality. Elaborates on the theoretical ideas presented by drawing on data from a study of a female…

Suggests that students can become motivated and engaged to improve their writing through guided interactions that target their affective, social, and cognitive capabilities. Presents fictional case scenarios developed from first- and second-year college students' comments about their writing to help students assess their perspectives on writing,…

Reports on a study in an introductory media writing class in which student journals were used as a formative classroom assessment technique. Examines the relevance in value of student journals in enhancing instructors' understanding of students' attitudes toward writing processes. Examines the role of student journals in providing feedback on the…

Notes that humor and hope can produce an interest in reading and writing in children. Presents ideas for developing interest in language arts as well as suggested poems, picture books, and beginning chapter books. Also includes classroom suggestions for developing the four needs of beginning writers: ideas, words, structures, and spelling. (LBT)

Describes a specific structured procedure for peer assisted learning in writing, Paired Writing, and its effects on the quality of writing and attitudes toward writing in primary school children. Reports on three action research projects. Finds the Paired Writing method proved practical and robust, adaptable to different classroom contexts, and…

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…

The study examined an ESL writing class, which consisted of 36 students, at a community college of Hong Kong. The students took part in three online collaborative writing tasks by sending drafts to peers who gave them suggestions and comments for improvement and working together on the completion of the writing tasks via email. The 36 students…

A study examined the writing practices, attitudes, and beliefs about the importance of writing at work of "basic" writers and "strong" writers. Subjects were graduates of Francis Marion College for the years 1984 to 1989. Questionnaires were returned by 119 of the 182 basic writers (identified through placement in remedial…