While understanding the concept of audience is an important step in learning to write, few studies have explored how student writers conceptualize audience in academic and nonacademic settings. This dissertation explores how college students enrolled in a first-year composition course conceptualize and operationalize audience and examines how the school context mediates students' knowledge of audience. Nine students participated in the study, and data was collected from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and relevant documents. Findings suggest that student conceptions of audience are more sophisticated and complex than previously thought. Additionally, students used a variety of strategies to analyze and adapt their writing for their audiences, even when they were writing for a teacher-audience. These findings challenge the view that writing for the teacher-audience does not promote genuine learning about audience and suggest that teachers and researchers should place more emphasis on the teacher as a legitimate audience for student writing. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]