Two basic data sources required for research studies have been secondary and primary. Secondary data collection helps the researcher to provide relevant background to the study and are, in most cases, available for retrieval from recorded sources. Primary data collection requires the researcher to venture into the field where the study is to take…

Describes two strategies chosen to guide the authors' writing research and presents four of these strategies in a process model of composition. (HOD)

The three papers in this report set forth the research methodology and the theory used in one research project to identify the processes involved in writing. The first paper proposes a method, termed protocol analysis, for use in identifying the organization of writing processes. It defines protocol analysis as a means for examining the detailed…

The author argues that Fagley's and Miller's criticisms of his Contexts Pyramid Model of Classroom Writing Competence (TM 510 548) reflect a misunderstanding of the purposes and the assumptions underlying the model. (BS)

Discusses the ongoing dialogs concerning paradigm shifts in education, especially with regard to English instruction. Describes one teacher's experiences with the issue of paradigm shift in the form of a blues song. Shows how teachers can move beyond the questions of paradigms. (HB)

As a response to the increasing support for linking information about the role of writing in the lives of children to writing instruction in schools, a research instrument was developed that illuminates children's concepts about writing (who writes, what is written, where people write, why they write, and how they view the writing process).…

While Mosenthal's Context Pyramid Model of Classroom Writing Contexts is a useful framework for guiding research on writing, it is argued that the model is actually a special case of earlier conceptual frameworks for research on memory and cognition by Jenkins and Bransford. (BS)

Discusses how English instruction has changed in recent decades, and questions whether the changes constitute a real "paradigm shift." Outlines the historical discussion regarding the changes as paradigm shift. Shows how paradigms have often come into sharp opposition through cultural exchanges. Advocates a constructivist paradigm. (HB)

Discusses open systems thinking as a new lens to use when exploring written business communication--a lens that integrates task, organizational structure, control, and technology into the analysis of written business messages. Explores the influences these subsystems have on written communication and then develops these systems and subsystems into…

A synthesis of three different writing theories into one model for the writing process is given in this report and evidence is provided for various parts of the model from studies using different methods of investigation. The model developed contains three phases: (1) processing or whiting as discovery, including propositionalizing, subchunking,…

Interest in the application of modern linguistic theory in composition research has faded, possibly because some of the basic principles that inform linguistic study have been misunderstood. For example, a common misconception is that linguists use the term "generate" to mean "produce." However, the purpose of a generative…

Suggests a number of criteria and procedures that represent a model of scholarly inquiry into the writing process. Discusses why some researchers are discontented with present models. Details what the author feels are acceptable, even desirable, operating assumptions, research methodologies, and ways of reporting results. (JD)

Outlines two hypotheses about the reasons for obscurity in expository writing and notes that neither accounts for the general results of an exploratory study of the writing of postgraduates nor for the individual cases presented. Argues that a crucial factor is a person's implicit model of expository writing. (FL)

Argues that knowing something about students' cognitive strategies can help teachers to match their teaching to their learning. Reports on a study that investigated students' cognitive strategies. (FL)

Asserts that research in technical communication must grow in quantity, quality, and coherence. Assesses the research reports in the proceedings of the annual conferences of the Society for Technical Communication for the last 20 years. Suggests a model for future growth. (SR)