To compare the relative reliable uses and cost effectiveness of the analytic, the holistic, and the primary trait scoring methods, an inquiry was conducted in which a group of raters scored a large number of secondary school students' essays according to each of the scoring methods. Raters were nine graduate students in English who were trained in…

The latest perceptions of writer-audience relationships have not been applied to what teachers actually do in the classroom. When the idea of audience is applied at all, it is often misapplied, resulting in classroom activities that fail to facilitate learning and many, in some cases, that force students to perform tasks so unreal that credibility…

Recent research studies and texts in composition demonstrate the growing belief that students' difficulties with the writing tasks assigned to them are inextricably linked with their difficulties in handling complex cognitive processes. Through appropriate writing activities, students can be provided with practice in the intellectual functions…

The individual writing conference is one of the key settings in which adults are taught to write. Success in the conference can be connected both to its structure (who can talk when and how much, and what types of talk are sequenced in what ways) and to the content within that structure (what topics are discussed, the amount of collaboration…

One of four reports describing the basic skills programs in writing, reading, English as a second language, and mathematics at the City University of New York (CUNY), this volume describes the writing aspect of the program--including content, structure, methodology, and support services--at nine senior colleges and eight community colleges in the…

To mimic as closely as possible successful classroom procedures, NCTE convention speakers should be assigned topics one hour before their sessions, with only the rhetorical form specified. The audience should shout evaluative comments during presentation and the recorder should interrupt at each spelling and punctuation error. A final grade should…

Native and nonnative (Indians) English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers' evaluations of certain errors in the written English of ESL college students were compared. Results indicated that native and nonnative perceptions of error gravity were not alike, although both groups saw verb-related error categories like tense, agreement, and question…

A significant amount of introspective evaluation of the dissertation process and product has taken place over the last five years. Technological advances, quality concerns, and increased student involvement in the preparation have been recognized and incorporated into new dissertation requirements. (Author/MLW)

Reviews the development of writing paradigms from Aristotle's emphasis on invention, to eighteenth-century emphasis on induction and style, to the recent process approach, and the current expressive and cognitive approaches to writing instruction. Notes problems left unresolved by process theory and recommends the socio-contextual approach which…

The article describes components of writing competence for instructors of basic writers (e.g., remedial, disadvantaged, language/learning disabled) emphasizing fluency, clarity, and appropriateness. Implications of research for the teaching of writing (such as the significance of errors) and assessment of writing competence are noted. (DB)

Describes a number system of commenting on technical writing assignments, where students must look up the comment number on a photocopied key. Provides a sample of the comment numbers and their translations, which cover both general grammatical errors and specific style, information content, and specific assignment difficulties. (SKC)

Proposes that error-oriented grading, because it is discouraging and debilitating for students, should be replaced by grading in which the writing teacher comments only on elements considered praiseworthy. Argues that teachers should spend the most time grading the best students, those most able to understand and act on written evaluations of…

Describes ways in which two second-grade writers used questions and comments made primarily by their teacher during teacher-student conferences to guide revision of their texts. Evidence indicates students typically chose to modify aspects of their texts that were identified as unclear. (RJC)

Summarizes and critiques a dissertation that assessed the relationship between job satisfaction of music performance faculty in doctoral degree granting institutions and their perceptions of their work; departmental chairperson, and peers. Weerts criticizes the dissertation's title, grammar, writing style, and recommendations, characterizing it as…

Describes Phase Four (contextualized literacy assessment) in the evolution of writing assessment, which would replace accountability approaches to assessment with an ecological model focusing on good instruction. Itemizes specific changes which could accompany movement into Phase Four by established assessment communities. (MM)