This essay extends arguments made by Gray-Rosendale in two earlier essays published within the Journal of Basic Writing (1999 and 2006), ones that focused on how basic writers' identities were being constructed in our scholarship. She traced developments in various approaches--developmentalist and grammar-based models (1970s), academic discourse…

Investigates the contradictory terminological investments within the charges against Mina Shaughnessy's scholarship (i.e., "essentialism,""accommodationism," and lack of "materialist praxis") from poststructuralist, feminist, and Marxist quarters. Maintains, through close readings of Shaughnessy's texts, that the…

Examines the relationship between handwriting speed and the syntactic complexity of the finished piece of writing. Reports that findings support previous research that describes differences in syntax of basic and traditional writers. Concludes that writing teachers should encourage college students to write rapidly as they draft their pieces. (MM)

Demonstrates that students who attempt graphically to represent their own writing process increase their involvement and self-awareness while validating their new writing behaviors and come to understand their role in managing the unique complexities of their own composing process. (SR)

Presents the results of a questionnaire which asked students to distinguish the most helpful instructional factors and activities aiding their writing progress. Concludes that the student's voice is his/her most accessible tool for progress, that acceptance of the student's voice is crucial, and that the speaking-writing connection is the most…

Compares White and African-American basic writers' texts produced during districtwide holistic writing assessments. Shows that White basic writers differ little from African-American basic writers, although African-Americans tend to use a stronger personal voice and drop standard word ending. Concludes that dialect is not the key issue. (MG)

Studies whether students who reread their drafts aloud as they revise compose essays that are stylistically superior to those of students who do not. Finds this makes a difference for students with adequate to proficient reading skills but not for poor readers. Suggests basic writing courses should focus on reading and style, besides principles of…

Examines basic writers' analyses of essay examination questions. Reveals a number of preference patterns that may be weighed both against general teaching and assessment theory and against the particular constraints of specific contexts. Concludes that basic writers have much to contribute to the writing of essay examination questions and the…

Examines the affective characteristics of basic writers and questions the hypothesis that they suffer from high writing apprehension and low self-esteem. Offers evidence of a group of basic writers in a larger group who had both low writing apprehension and high self-esteem. (MG)

Examines whether prerequisite relationships exist between five analytical components of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) composition: content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. Finds the need for an approach to writing which recognizes that "separate skills" are actually highly interrelated. (MM)

Offers a brief Foucauldian archeological history of the "Journal of Basic Writing." Attempts to (1) describe broad historical features of the construction of Basic Writers' identities; (2) examine instances in which critical disruptions and overlaps of such constructions occur; and (3) explore what such moments reveal about trends and…

Presents the findings and pedagogical implications of a study that focused on intellectual orientation and multiple-source writing. Suggests that first-year college students who write from multiple sources can approach divergent points of view from a variety of intellectual orientations. (MG)

Conducts a case study of the problem identification and resolution strategies of three basic writers. Finds that basic writers are capable of evaluating surface-level problems and rhetorical problems in both their own and peers' texts if instructors provide them with opportunities to do so. (RS)

Studies how formerly weak writers manage to write adequately for their jobs. Concludes that the rhetorical, psychological, and social environment of the workplace fosters better writing in basic writers than the academic environment. Recommends writing across the curriculum for duplicating the workplace-writing content in college writing classes.…

Presents findings of a study comparing compositions by beginning writing and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at a two-year college. Reports similarities in the groups' topic choices, topic sentence use, and expository development. Reveals that ESL students tended to write shorter papers containing more sentence level errors. Discusses…