Despite the growing movement to embrace sociomaterial approaches to feedback practices (e.g. Gravett, 2020), dialogicity remains the prominent and dominant approach, especially in the teaching of introductory or compulsory writing courses at the tertiary level. To examine this in our own practice, we reflected on and compared our written…

Background: Research in the field of writing pedagogy within higher education has extensively examined the significant roles that feedback plays in the development of students' writing skills. However, comparative studies that investigate the efficacy of teacher-provided written and oral feedback, both with and without the aid of technology,…

In this project, I investigated student perceptions of dynamic written corrective feedback (DWCF), a specific method of providing accuracy feedback, in developmental writing classes for multilingual students. Via a quasi-experimental design using treatment and control sections of a developmental writing program's three levels, I collected and…

This paper reports on an investigation of writing in Spanish in the lives of U.S. Latinos. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with informants recruited from among students and former students of high school and college Spanish courses. The interviews were transcribed and coded for concepts and emergent themes (Rubin & Rubin,…

The origins of written language and the study of the alphabet's evolution from pictographic icon or glyph to phonetic, syllabic code are fundamental to the study of writing. Electronically-generated typographies have reawakened interest in letterforms, alphabets, typefaces, and the physical arrangement of words on the page. Fonts, a word that…

Coaching is the central activity in the "game" of teaching, and it is an activity that can have a lifetime effect on language learners. This book presents a "coaching approach" to instruction in written language--an approach that is eclectic, pragmatic, synthetic. The approach in the book centers on finding balance--ways of…

Surveys three current perspectives on audience, exploring the strengths and weaknesses of each without arguing for the superiority of one view. Provides a conceptual framework that will clarify some of the things composition theorists can mean when they talk about the writer's audience. (FL)

Asserts that passive constructions are not the mark of flawed writing as many textbooks claim them to be but are instead frequent and effective stylistic variants. (RAE)

Traces social change and evolution of the American writing curriculum. Argues that technology alone is not responsible for an increasingly oral approach to written language. Discusses emergent dimensions of email that alter communication access, social interaction, and response. (PA)

Argues that encouraging a "dialogue of one" (in which students internalize their reading selves in the act of revision) contributes to reuniting students' academic and cultural selves. Contends that students can learn the language appropriate to the literate community by recognizing that their writing is subject to critical questioning…

Claims that punctuation contributes substantially to writing effectiveness. Argues that punctuation's primary function is to signal the "prosody" (patterns of pitch, stress, and hesitations) that authors have in mind when they write. Observes that a sensitivity to the sound of written language is essential for the effective use of…

Asserts that basic writers must learn to consciously manage written patterns to become better writers. Reviews six studies focusing on lexical and syntactic differences between written and spoken English, and suggests focal points for teaching writing patterns to basic writers. Examines two case studies which demonstrate writing pattern…

Suggesting that neuroscience and the actualities of brain circuitry can provide guidance for what is misunderstood in writing education, namely, the role of subjectivity and values in the composing process, this paper argues that neuroscience provides corporeal evidence for the salience of particular brain structures and processes responsible for…

The craft of writing is accessible to everyone. To revive it will require that students learn more--read more history and literature and philosophy--and think about problems and the ways human beings have responded to the universal dilemmas of life. (MLW)

Explores the assumption that writing is a way to learn by examining the influence of task interpretation on writing and studying as learning aids. Finds that task interpretation and the nature of the material to be learned are important mediating variables in the relationship between writing and learning. (PRA)