Against the backdrop of proliferating research on multimodality in the fields of literacy and writing studies, this article considers the contributions of two prominent theoretical perspectives--Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Situated Literacies--and the methodological tensions they raise for the study of multimodality. To delineate…

Points out the disadvantages and limitations of grading all student writing. Offers alternative methods of giving students meaningful feedback about their writing. (RL)

The instructional applicability of a variety of handwriting assessment techniques is examined. Informal procedures, handwriting scales, and systematic methods used in recent research methodology are critically reviewed. For each class of assessment techniques, relevant information on validity, reliability, and utility is presented. (Author/CL)

This project is a historical and topical search into handwriting evaluation. It includes a statement of the problem; a justification; definitions; a bibliography listed in historical order with annotations on 36 books and articles; and a summary and evaluation of the literature. The conclusion of the paper discusses the importance of being aware…

Examines four approaches to evaluating writing, and notes the strengths and weaknesses of each. (RL)

Examines the questions: (1) What criteria do raters use when making holistic judgments of brief, impromptu essays? and (2) Do raters judge such essays in the same way they think they do? (FL)

Argues that teachers and students would benefit from teachers' mastering of a variety of types of responses to writing, including personal and empathetic responses, in addition to the traditional advisory and evaluative responses. (RL)

Examines typical elementary school teachers' marks on student writing assignments, which place greater emphasis on mechanics at the expense of content. Suggests ways in which writing program effectiveness might be improved by shifting focus to the development of creative and effective content, during which mastery of mechanics will occur…

The English Microlab Registry (EMR) was first designed as a database, or research tool, for planners of English microlabs in order to give them access to information about all aspects of microlab management. But EMR also provides descriptive data about what a microlab is and may well provide insight into whether those labs will survive. An…

Mandates about the kind and amount of literacy instruction in classrooms and levels of reading required for successful promotion from grade to grade are currently dominating state and federal legislation. This paper gathers scholarship from three disparate sources to produce the first integrated review of policy-related research on literacy…

Struggling adolescent readers need interventions that provide them with opportunities to read more and to read better. The authors examine two case studies of interventions at work and propose criteria on which to evaluate intervention programs. Their review of the evidence on these programs for struggling adolescent readers suggests that at least…

Using the right hemisphere of the brain in evaluating student writing means consciously and consistently incorporating its emotional, intuitive, and holistic functions with the more analytical functions of the logical "left" hemisphere when considering, judging, and directing improvement in student writing. Research seems to suggest that…

An overview of the salient issues in adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) literacy is presented as reported in the literature on adult education and applied linguistics. Emphasis is on programs that have implemented promising practices and effective approaches to help ESL students develop their literacy skills. Characteristics of effective…

Seven research-based papers on writing disorders of learning-disabled college students are listed and reviewed. The papers deal with persistent auditory language deficits in adults with learning disabilities; error patterns and instructional alternatives relating to college learning-disabled writers; syntactic complexity in written expression;…

Conceived at an executive board meeting of the International Federation for the Teaching of English, this book describes the classroom practices of English teachers in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, and the United States. The 82 articles are divided into the following areas: (1) a history of teaching English in each country; (2) new…