The effectiveness of the Kates method of teaching composition, which involves regular, sequential writing assignments and teacher/student conferences, was investigated using an experimental group of 142 ninth-grade students in six classes and a control group of 78 students in two classes. The experimental classes wrote approximately 14 essays in…

A composition teacher at a New York City community college where cooperative education is stressed found that focusing the writing of his multiethnic students on the theme of freedom helped them look at their lives differently, revealing the contradictions involved in their beliefs, ideals, and prejudices. The course began with a discussion of…

An investigation of: (1) the relationship between the American College Test (ACT) English Usage Test scores and demonstrated writing proficiency, and (2) the relationships between and among other objective tests and writing proficiency was undertaken, using three samples of college freshmen. Although results indicated a moderately high…

Two examples of student prose are analysed as instances of the unreasoned, illogical thinking which the author considers prevalent at the university level today. Causes for student inability to communicate by means of objective argument are explored, and a course, "Investigation, Thinking, and Arguing," is outlined as a suggested replacement for…

This paper suggests that a change in mode of expression --narrative, descriptive, or expository--can influence the syntactic complexity of children's writing. The implications of the research studies reviewed here may offer direction for education in general. Instructional strategies which make use of variation in writing mode to encourage gains…

Students' abilities in manipulation and control of syntax may be increased through a sequence of instruction involving the use of exercises termed "Non-Sentence Practice,""Nonsense-Sentences Practice," and "Syntactic Patterning Practice." The final step in the instruction sequence is to make the syntactic exercises pertinent to students' writing…

The 34 articles in this publication focus on the improvement of writing instruction and range from brief statements to discussions of courses. Contents are divided into the following six categories: getting the writer started finding a subject; developing a point of view; sharpening technique; writing to clarify values; and exploring writing…

The author presents a fully annotated bibliography of 80 items relating to the subject of ghostwriting of public addresses and other forms of persuasive communication. Most of the items deal with ghostwriting in the areas of political persuasion and public relations, although some general entries are included. Topics of the material range from…

The Quinmester course "Expository Writing" is designed to help students develop competence in writing topic sentences and expository paragraphs incorporating the methods of cause and effect, comparison and contrast, illustration or example. The process of composition is taught in the following sequence: identification of the audience;…

Thirty fifth-grade children participated in a study of regressions in oral reading of narrative and expository material. A cloze test, a retelling task, and a comprehending task were administered to each student. Analysis of regressions in reading indicated nine categories of cause of regression: correction, anticipatory problems, intonation…

The program outlined in this document suggests that all secondary school students have continuous composing experiences in four major areas of written discourse: sensory/descriptive, imaginative/narrative, practical/informative, and analytical/expository. This document contains a chart detailing a plan of instruction in written composition for…

In the fall of 1975, a committee on the use of English was appointed by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Illinois to determine the nature of the writing problem in the college, to assess its significance, and to make recommendations for the improvement of student writing. As part of their work, the committee obtained…

Provides teachers with instructions on effectively using student journals in classes at all levels. Gives examples of different types of personal writing students can engage in, suggests ways to respond to them, and lists benefits of and reservations about using journals in writing classes. (SKC)

Noting that combining reading instruction with writing instruction is more effective than teaching writing alone, describes and evaluates various sequential activities and exercises to promote involved reading. Includes mapping, summarizing, synthesizing, and critiquing assigned readings, all of which lead to the research paper. (JG)

Discussion of ways in which second-language learners' processing of and interaction with narrative and expository texts affects their performance on cloze tests suggests that researchers and teachers interpreting these tests should not assume that such tests only assess language ability. (CB)