A study determined if there was a significant difference in the writing skills of eighth graders after they completed a writing class that based the method of instruction on the writing process. Subjects, 743 students in a midwestern school system, completed the class and were administered pretests and posttests. The results supported the…

There is no single program for improving student writing, but there are common elements of programs that help kids learn to write well. Likewise, there is no professional development program that provides all the skills and knowledge a teacher will need to improve student writing--and, ultimately, student learning--but there are common elements…

Offered as a result of suggestions by Maryland teachers, this guide serves as an instructional reference for educators on teaching functional writing at the elementary and secondary school levels. The guide was developed as a supplement to volume one; both volumes provide a comprehensive perspective to writing improvement in Maryland. The first…

A study examined basic writers' written responses to literature and looked for the effects of practice and personality on the development of these students' responses. Subjects, 24 students enrolled in a 4-week summer enrichment program for high risk students at a large Southeastern university. Students were asked to read and respond in writing…

Literacy studies of young children imply that college teachers need to be able to make a connection between what the students bring to the composition classroom and what they are writing in the university. Teachers need to discover students' writing backgrounds, the anxieties, rules, and attitudes they bring to the classroom. In addition, research…

A case study examined the implementation of a schoolwide writing program established in a California middle school through a district sponsored school improvement program (SIP). Conducted at an urban sprawl southern California school of approximately 900 students in grades seven and eight, the program was directed and implemented by the English…

To evaluate the efficacy of faculty seminars for writing across the curriculum given for the instructors at Robert Morris College (Pennsylvania), an examination of the instructors' verbal protocols was conducted. Eleven faculty members from a variety of disciplines who participated in the 45 hour-long seminars and eight who did not participate…

Reporting on the work of a task force formed for the purpose of improving writing skills in the Memphis (Tennessee) City Schools, grades K-12, this paper identifies the efforts of the task force and its recommendations and traces the development and implementation of the Writing Across the Curriculum Project. An introduction notes the importance…

A project followed the development of a curriculum of editing assignments used to bridge the gap between Miami-Dade Community College students' passive command of grammatical rules and active use of them in their writing. Assumptions and strategies used in developing the curriculum included: (1) the idea that editing must be seen as a part of the…

Evaluating the longitudinal effects of a 5-year secondary school composition curriculum, a study investigated students' perceptions of their ability to use essay-level and syntax-level skills. Student questionnaires provided perception, definition, and usefulness data about the curriculum. Results showed that 3 years elapsed before students became…

Intended for classroom teachers of all grade levels, this annotated bibliography includes a wide range of theoretical and practical sources in the field of writing education. The bibliography is divided by topic into 27 sections, each of which is introduced by brief questions that suggest more specifically the kinds of research represented in that…