The narrow teaching of writing that had been common in schools for hundreds of years was challenged in the 1980s by 'one of the most seductive writers in the history of writing pedagogy'. Donald Graves's process approach to writing, as it came to be known, was popular in Australia, New Zealand, USA and the UK. At the heart of Graves's approach was…

Discusses the writing process as it is represented in recent research and practice, with emphasis on (1) rhetorical concerns; (2) the arts of invention, style, and arrangement; and (3) efforts to expand writing instruction beyond traditional courses and disciplines. Recognizes a shift that characterizes writing as rhetorical problem solving.…

The emerging field of composition research grew up around writing instructors hired to teach required courses in freshman composition. Scholars are interested in studying how writers compose, what they intend to express, and who they believe they are writing for. (MLW)

Illustrates that ethnographic research is not antipathetic to controlled experimental or quasi-experimental research. Argues that qualitative and various kinds of quantitative research need to be used in productive symbiotic relationships. (RAE)

Identifies context variables in written composition from theoretical perspectives in cognitive psychology, sociology, and anthropology. Considers how multiple views of context from across the disciplines can build toward a broader definition of writing. (JD)

The key ideas developed by the Writing across the Curriculum Project begun at the University of London in 1965 center on the ways in which discourse is acquired by children in a psycholinguistic sense. Among those ideas are (1) knowledge is socially determined through the interweaving of individual consciousnesses, each of which is busy construing…

Research shows that writing can be used across the curriculum to help students come to grips with their understanding (or lack of understanding) of information presented in each day's lessons. Teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels should be trained to understand the writing process and its importance for learning. (PP)

A review of dozens of journal articles and books on the subject of writing across the curriculum reveals the following basic assumptions that seem to characterize most college writing across the curriculum programs: (1) writing is a complex and developmental process; (2) writing should be used to promote learning; (3) the teaching of writing is…

The 19 conference papers in this collection deal with the relationship of various rhetorical theories and their practical applications to the rhetorical traditions that they are superseding. The papers deal with many topics, including the following: (1) a multidisciplinary approach to writing instruction; (2) the importance of writing as a human…

Describes a college instructor's observations of her students' writing blocks. Suggests that female students' writing blocks differ from males'. Asserts that females' blocks last longer and cause greater distress than do males' writing blocks. Notes that female students also appear to experience difficulty in utilizing secondary sources and…

Discusses the inadequacies of standard conceptions of the writing process by relating the experiences of one child in a writing class. Proposes alternative ways to expand the concept of the writing process by incorporating related activities in reading, art, and drama. (MS)

The impact of a writing-across-the-curriculum program on the professional life of a single university department and on the pedagogical life of an entire campus community is the focus of this book. The essays in the first section explain writing across the curriculum and provide a context for collective writing research. This section demonstrates…

The nine articles in this guide discuss the problems involved in teaching writing and offer suggestions for improving writing instruction. The first article presents responses given by educators to a nationwide survey concerning the causes of writing problems, concluding that until recently the biggest problems were untrained teachers and a lack…

The 42 papers in this volume discuss a variety of technical writing topics. The following are some of these topics: (1) industry's views on new directions in technical communication, and the technical writing skills that industry needs; (2) an interdisciplinary approach to teaching technical report writing in the community college; (3) designing…

This study examined the pedagogical practices of interdisciplinary faculty teaching single-subject approach writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) courses at a research university (University of Texas) to determine the extent to which the faculty practice the process approach to writing instruction. Data were gathered from course syllabi, assignment…