Composition theorists concerned with students' academic writing ability have long questioned the application of voice as a standard for writing competence, and second language compositionists have suggested that English language learners may be disadvantaged by the practice of emphasizing voice in the evaluation of student writing. Despite these…

A sharp increase in the proportion of informational text with the corresponding expansion of cognitive demands and conceptual structures is a widely held explanation for the decline in reading achievement at the fourth-grade level. In this study, differences in the proportion of informational text across the second, third, and fourth grades were…

Drawing from a study of one student's literate engagements with English studies and fan fiction and related fan art over her two years in an MA program, which also reached back to the earlier writing she did for English classes and other writings before the study began, this article employs sociohistoric theory to examine the profoundly dialogic…

This case study closely examines how John (a former student of mine, age eight, second grade) composed during an informal writing group at school. Using qualitative research methods, I found that John selectively took up conventions, characters, story grammars, themes, and motifs from video games, television, Web pages, and comics. Likening his…

Compares effects of three treatment conditions (direct instruction, tacit instruction, and no treatment) on high school students' interpretations of stable irony in poetry. Concludes that direct and tacit methods are statistically superior on several measures, and that no statistically significant differences exist between the direct and tacit…

Discusses how the notion of genre has recently been reconceived by theorists. Questions whether the explicit teaching of genre features and rules enhance the acquisition of such genres by students. Provides tentative responses to this question. Argues for more focused research of this question. (HB)

Responds to Aviva Freedman's article on explicit instruction of genre in the same issue of the journal. Reviews Freedman's argument. Disagrees with Freedman's conclusion that explicit instruction is not useful. Argues that research indicates that explicit instruction of genres can be beneficial to students. (HB)

Responds to two critiques of her own article published in the same issue of the journal. (HB)

Responds to Aviva Freedman's article on explicit instruction of genre in the same issue of the journal. Questions Freedman's conclusions by asking how "explicit instruction" and "genre" should be defined. Considers how craft, as opposed to a body of knowledge, can be learned. (HB)

Reports on a study of genre and register that reaches the following conclusions concerning the teaching of language and literature: (1) teaching should concentrate on the move structure of genres and the concomitant move registers rather than the general register of a genre as a whole; and (2) the teaching of reading and writing should be…

To assess the effects of textual variation on students' preferred patterns of literary response, 166 college students were asked to read two poems and two short stories. The findings provided support for the notion that students' preferred patterns of response are strongly influenced by the nature of the texts they read. (HOD)

Describes children's views of the contexts surrounding their writing and examines five contextual factors: ownership, setting, audience, purpose, and genre.

Describes two chief alternative models of English instruction, critical theory, and constructivism or naturalistic inquiry. Discusses the functions of genre in disciplinary communities. Argues that naturalistic inquiry does not constitute a comprehensive corrective to the legacy of positivism. (HB)

Studies five preschoolers' response to four genres of picture books: fantasy, realistic, poetic, and information. Finds (1) distinct patterns of response for each genre; and (2) personal associations to the characters, events, images, and topics seemed to form the basis for interpretation. (NH)