Grouping individuals according to a set of measured characteristics, or profiling, is frequently used in describing, understanding, and acting on a phenomenon. The advent of computer-based assessment offers new possibilities for profiling writing because aspects can be captured that were not heretofore observable. We explored whether writing…

The problem this qualitative phenomenological study addressed was the lack of understanding of the experiences of adult learners and their perceptions of online tools and interactivity as they engaged in the use of Google Docs in a traditional entry-level writing course. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into adult learners'…

We present an empirical study on the use of keystroke analytics to capture and understand how writers manage their time and make inferences on how they allocate their cognitive resources during essay writing. The results suggest three distinct longitudinal patterns of writing process that describe how writers approach an essay task in a writing…

In this multiple case study, I examine relationships among the essay genre, contextual influences, sociocultural resources, and choices made by four adult English learners enrolled in an English composition course at a community college. My primary objective is to provide an expanded view of the writing processes used by adult English learners.…

Purpose: This study focused on factors that contributed to writing quality in adults who were pursuing a General Educational Development (GED) diploma through an adult basic education program and university students who were pursuing a college degree. We explored the role of transcription (handwriting and spelling), working memory, oral language,…

For corrective feedback (CF) to contribute to second language (L2) development, some cognitive processes need to be completed. Learners need to notice and comprehend the CF, reflect on and deeply process it, and finally integrate it into their interlanguage (Gass, 1997). Written languaging (WL), which requires learners to explicitly explain to…

"Biometrics" are physical or behavioral human characteristics that can be used to identify a person. It is widely known that keystroke or typing dynamics for short, fixed texts (e.g., passwords) could serve as a behavioral biometric. In this study, we investigate whether keystroke data from essay responses can lead to a reliable…

Although research about the effectiveness of second or foreign language collaborative writing for jointly written products has proliferated in the last few decades, there has been less examination of whether and how pre-task preparation could maximize the language learning opportunities that collaborative writing can afford learners. Informed by…

Online learning has become an established and customary way for adults to learn. Adult educators are challenged with promoting learner engagement through online collaborative teaching practices, such as wiki-based learning experiences. Although much literature was available regarding use of wikis to promote writing processes among adults, little…

This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that used narrative analysis to explore the role of embodied learning in the writing processes of creative writers. From a theoretical framework that draws on Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of the body, Gendlin's concepts of felt sense and focusing, and Jordi's analysis of reflection for…

This paper explores writing pedagogy in the primary classroom and connections between children thinking creatively and their achievement in writing. Initially 'continuing professional development' for teachers, I designed and facilitated a two-day writing workshop with a class of children around the theme of a Victorian murder mystery. This was…

Writing anxiety is one of the most essential factors influencing language learning. The current study is to explore the effect of sentence-making practice on reducing writing anxiety of two classes of adult EFL learners, one in low-intermediate level (LI learners), the other in high-intermediate level (HI learners). Two classes received two-week…

In this paper I reflect autoethnographically on my experiences of writing as part of a professional doctorate. I draw on the research journals that I kept during a particularly challenging time in the dissertation process and in particular on the method of journal writing that I used to help me through this time. This storied account offers an…

By analyzing Zen guided meditations, I argue that literacy researchers can improve the field's conceptual tools by investigating experiential knowledge. Using work on procedural knowledge and the emotional bases of perception, cognition, and decision making, I show that experiential knowledge drives perceptions and action, thus shaping…

Mass incarceration in America is a moral, economic, and societal crisis with serious implications for many men of color and high school non-completers who are incarcerated at proportionally higher rates than Whites or college graduates. For the formerly incarcerated, engagement in adult learning, whether high school equivalency (HSE) or college,…