Describes a case study of the composing strategies used by a professional writer, Donald Murray, concentrating on his planning and revision processes. (FL)

Documents the progressive spelling strategies and improvement of one third-grade student over the course of eight drafts. (HTH)

Analyzes the writing processes of a businessman-engineer and discovers that not all of the generalizations about composing are borne out in the way the subject writes. (FL)

As part of a larger research study, three freshman writers were observed in order to determine when they rewrote compositions, when they rethought major concepts and designs, and when they reviewed stylistic options and made purposive as opposed to uninformed changes in their writing. Their tape recorded comments were guided by questions on (1)…

During a year-long ethnography in a workplace setting (a non-profit job and literacy training agency), a study examined how managers learned new genres required in their jobs. There were 2 research questions: (1) what are the specific aspects of a genre to be mastered for effective written communication? and (2) what is the developmental process…

Argues that teaching writing conventions in a basic writing class is not a sufficient preparation either for the traditional freshman writing course or for the courses in the students' majors that will follow. Argues that students should be provided with appropriate reading and writing activities of real complexity at every level. (RS)

Examines students' accounts of meaning-making and compares those accounts to students' ideas about writing. Presents two case studies of students as they use their ideas about meaning-making while writing for a first-year composition course. Provides implications of this research for teaching writing. (HB)

A study was undertaken to observe the prewriting processes of four high and four low writing apprehensive college students and to explore any composing patterns that seemed characteristic of the two groups. During the study, each of the eight participants attended at least four 90-minute sessions that were designed to document the complex…

Argues for an activity-based theory of genre knowledge. Provides data from case study research concerning "insider knowledge" about genres of academic cultures. Proposes five general principles as a basis for a theory of genre. (HB)

Although the freshman research paper is the most institutionalized single writing assignment in the academy, the body of knowledge about it is neither extensive nor reflective. This paper explores the complex processes involved in a freshman writing student's inquiry and composing processes as he/she enacts a research assignment. It asks how a…

Using data from a study that examined the writing of basic skills and regular college freshman students on three separate tasks, this paper discusses the effect that translating a generalized task into one that engages personal commitment by the writer has on the cognitive strategies employed to respond to that task. After a discussion of the…

Explores the ways in which writers actually use different forms of knowing to create prose. (FL)

This report examines the composing processes of expert writers to determine which cognitive processes in expository writing produce an opportunity for a creative response. The first section considers how the ill-defined nature of many writing problems and the cognitive processes experts use to solve these problems interact to provide an…

A case study examined purpose in the writing of four college freshmen enrolled in a basic composition course. Discourse based interviews were conducted with the subjects before and after they responded to each of three writing tasks designed to provide them with different choices for audience, mode, and focus. The data revealed two central ways in…

A research project designed to determine what is important to a freshman college student in writing and learning to write is described in this paper. The first section of the paper provides background information for the project, which involved collaboration between the researcher and a student. The second section describes data gathering…