Has the new emphasis on process versus product led instructors to teach that the writing process is everything and the product, the finished paper, of no import? This is a lesson that not even the most orthodox believer in writing process methodology would support. The process and the product are, in fact, mutually linked, rather than mutually…

Students often see revision not as an opportunity to develop and improve a piece of writing but as an indication that they have failed to do it right the first time. To them, revision means correction. To correct this assumption, teachers' comments on papers should focus on more than mechanics. Teachers would do well to comment on the paper's…

There is really no theoretical difference between standard education and distance education; the difference is in the mediation of the transactions between teachers and students. Distance education writing courses can be successful provided the instructor uses a strong text, states his or her guidelines clearly, tutors well on computer, and offers…

Pondering the purposes of family stories and transcribed dialogues between family members raises an insight or two concerning the attainment of literacy. For instance, an exchange between two elder members of a family, one a former school teacher, the other a Ph.D., illustrates the spirited nature of arguments in the family. The school teacher…

A study investigated the following questions: (1) How does writing develop in a foreign language context? (2) What are the learners' perceptions of writing in a foreign language? (3) What is the influence of first language literacy skills on second language writing? (4) What is the influence of second language proficiency on second language…

Although many educators consider the teaching of the research paper in high schools old-fashioned, this aspect of the English curriculum remains important for helping students master inquiry and reasoning skills. If carefully presented, the research paper develops skills indispensable for today's complex, information-based society. A review of the…

A practicum was developed to empower pre-service teachers to become more confident in their attempts to motivate and encourage young children to write. Emphasis was placed on the use of holistic philosophies relating to writing, in contrast to more conventional methodologies. Student participants included junior teacher candidates enrolled in…

As part of the basic special education curriculum of the Department of Public Instruction of Puerto Rico, this teacher's guide, presents, in Spanish, a basic curriculum for writing skills for students with disabilities. Skills for handwriting (the production of writing) and composition are included. Although the student with disabilities needs…

An educator recently contributed a statement concerning some of the difficulties in teaching critical theory to undergraduates, particularly works translated from the French poststructuralists, to the newly published collection "Foregrounding Ethical Awareness in Composition and English Studies." As a postscript, the educator would like…

This paper discusses parody as an effective pedagogical device and as a way of teaching recognition of, and appreciation for, form. If the subject parodied is in poetic form, then rhyme and rhythm become factors for the parodist to consider. If the subject parodied is in prose, then the parodist must address the techniques of narrative,…

An examination was made into cohesion in expository essays written in Malay and in English as a Second Language (ESL) by Malaysian writers. T-tests performed on the data obtained from a cohesion analysis of text indicated no differences in the amount of cohesion between good and weak compositions written in Malay by native speakers (n=20), or in…

This pamphlet is designed to help parents help their children make the short but important step from language play to loving writing. The pamphlet discusses ways to: encourage children's curiosity and imaginative play; make reading an important part of family life; and respect children's interests in writing and reading. It also suggests…

A study examined how a group of non-traditional students approached the issue of multiple identities, i.e., those identities of gender, race, culture, ethnicity, region, nation, class, sexual orientation and so on that made up each individual self. In-depth interviews with eight returning adult women attending a Catholic women's college in the…

Writing autobiographies, in which students describe their experiences as writers, show that students already know a great deal about their strengths and weaknesses as writers and about the conditions they need to write successfully. Typical first assignments given to entering college students are often used to diagnose the ability level and…

Nine papers from a British conference on applied linguistics are compiled in this report. Introductory comments point out the traditional primacy of spoken language while acknowledging the demand for literacy and the importance of the written mode. Papers and authors are as follows: "An Educational Theory of (Written) Language" (Michael Stubbs);…