The insufficient focus on developing writing instruction in education is a significant problem. Despite the crucial link between writing and reading skills and their impact on academic and life success, there is a notable lack of emphasis on writing in schools. Writing A-Z is a digital-first program that helps teachers establish a writing…

There is considerable concern that students do not develop the writing skills needed for school, occupational, or personal success. A frequent explanation for this is that schools do not do a good job of teaching this complex skill. A recent meta-analysis of true- and quasi-experimental writing intervention research (S. Graham & D. Perin,…

Describes research on the process of writing using a protocol analysis approach that suggests a writing model containing three major processes: planning, translating, and reviewing. (MKM)

This paper is based on the premise that writing is a central means for learning, clarifying, organizing, and expressing ideas and information, and that all teachers should share responsibility for helping students to become writers both inside and outside of the classroom. The paper's aim is to find answers to the following questions: Why do…

Describes an informal experiment designed to explore the relationship between drawing and writing, and the meaning held in the drawings. Finds that drawing should not be relegated only to small children, but should be used to help older students explore their thoughts and feelings as well. (PRA)

Discusses the composing processes of speakers of English as a Second Language (ESL), and suggests teaching strategies to be used with ESL writers. (MM)

A summary of research findings on the writing process reveals a number of distinct stages and the recognition that errors are a natural part of learning and often indicate progress rather than failure. Writing evaluation and inservice education programs are discussed. (Author/MLF)

A review of the writings of a former "English Journal" editor shows a maturing growth in his conception of the composing process and reveals him to be the percursor of many present composition practices. (Author)

Discusses how the professional writer's approach to writing has influenced current thinking about writing processes. Examines how projects like the Somerset/Wiltshire "Write to Learn" have altered writing attitudes. Provides a list of booklets in the "Write to Learn" Project. (MM)

Researchers and educators sometimes need to be reminded of the broad range of factors which have a crucial impact on how writers write. This paper offers a personal checklist of six factors which have been shown to be important, yet which are easy to forget in in heat of research because of the tendency to become immersed in a particular agenda…

In a study exploring how writers use audience awareness and how that awareness is related to the writer's age, four eighteen-year-old and four nine-year-old writers were assigned letters to write for two different audiences: a friend and a great aunt whom they had never met. Thinking-aloud writing protocols were produced at the time of writing. At…

Extends a conversation begun in response to issues the authors identified in their own work as writers of qualitative research and in the works of others. Discusses theory, methodology, representation and legitimation, and writing and write-up of qualitative research. (RS)

Every writing program contains implicit information on the amount of writing that should be assigned, how the essays should be evaluated, the type of grammar--if any--students should study, and the type of composition instruction that will be most effective. Research has not identified an optimal level of writing frequency, and although frequent…

Investigates students' evaluations of their best and worst papers. Finds that: researching and writing processes dominated evaluations; grades did not play a significant role in their judgment; interest in the topic was a factor in their evaluations; and their written texts lost impact by the time of the retrospective evaluation. (RS)

Outlines research done by teachers on writing apprehension and concludes that teachers are natural researchers because they continually pose questions about the nature of their students and the effectiveness of their teaching. (SRT)