As a solution to the problems presented by approaches to teaching English composition that are almost purely cognitive in nature, an experimental course was offered for freshmen at the Miami-Dade Community College. The course was designed to be holistic and confluent, synthesizing both the cognitive and affective domains by incorporating Gestalt…

The present study tested four research hypotheses dealing with sentence-combining (SC) practice as a component of the language arts curriculum. It examined the progress of 100 seventh graders over a period of three months. No formal instruction in grammar was included. Four classes, controlled for ability, sex, and teacher effect, followed a…

In order to formulate instructional hypotheses and research directions, a profile of seven-year-old children's behavioral patterns associated with the writing process was sought. Eight case study children were chosen from two formal and two informal classrooms in a middle class community. Secondary focus was on gathering data from larger groups in…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a letter-evaluation method would be as effective as the traditional letter-writing method when applied in a college level business correspondence class. One hundred twenty-nine Brigham Young University students were divided into two experimental and two control groups, and categorized according to…

Educators continue to seek ways to foster writing that produces rich language usage by students. Journal writing in the classroom allows students to express ideas in written form. Two types of journal writing often used by educators include topical journal writing and free choice journal writing. The desire to excel in the area of writing prompted…

This evaluation of a theme-every-day writing experience concludes that such a project has some values which reward the time a class spends preparing, reading, and giving feedback. Chapter one describes the teaching method and several features of the community college in which the theme-every-day approach to teaching composition was used. Chapter…

Research suggests that the informal language of journals is very important. Language scholars such as J. Vygotsky (1962), J. Moffell (1968, 1982), P. Elbow (1973, 1982), and M. Shaughnessy (1977) believe that human beings find meaning through exploration in their own talking language. To add to the evidence in this area, a study conducted in an…

This master's project contains two essays and a long poem, examining the possibilities of creative writing as a tool of inquiry in mathematics, history, science, film, art, and architecture. The project's first essay, "The Poet in the Warehouse," introduces a brief history of imaginative writing and an argument for its inclusion in…

This study partially replicated Moss's "A Study of the Effect of Selected Methods of Instruction Designed to Increase Originality in Written Expression," except for the fact that this investigator taught a 5th grade and an 11th grade class for most of a school year. Some of the conclusions of the study were: no particular teaching technique was…

The purpose of this study was to determine if syntactic maturity, as measured by T-unit length, clause length, and clauses per T-unit, and if the level of reading comprehension, as measured by cloze tests and a standardized reading test, of one group each of selected fifth, seventh, and ninth graders could be influenced by the students completing…

In order to determine whether an alternative teaching strategy would improve student motivation in freshman composition, two sections of freshman composition were studied. The experimental group spent the majority of a term concentrating on individualized projects which were chosen, planned, carried out, and presented by each student. Students…