A study investigated the perceptions of college students from three different cultural groups in English composition courses concerning writing and effective writing instruction. Subjects were native speakers of American English, natives of South Korea, and natives of Mexico. Data were collected through classroom observation and in systematic interviews with the students and with two program administrators and two teachers. Analysis of the data focused on: (1) factors affecting the writing development of college students (educational background, family environment, cultural influence, and individual factors such as personality, intellectual tendency, and learning strategies); and (2) factors in effective writing instruction. In the latter category, two phases in effective instruction emerged: the teacher's contributions (attitude, subject matter knowledge, skills in organizing instruction, teaching competence, student evaluation, and classroom management) and student efforts (regular practice, purposeful personal efforts to learn, beyond class assignments). A considerable difference was found between native and non-native speakers of English in their writing development, reflecting cultural influences in writing styles and thought content, but no significant difference was found in contextual influences, individual factors, or perceptions of effective writing instruction. (MSE)