Describes the experiences of a master of arts student in professional writing and editing who undertook ethnographic research to explore ghostwriting in a military headquarters. Investigates the ways in which the military's review process influences writer psychology and the final written product. Discusses changes in local writing and reviewing…

Reports on a study investigating high school students' choice of topic and form of discourse for their writing. Finds that topic choices related to gender, and that topic and form choices related to grade level. (SR)

Discusses the challenges of research writing and presents techniques for writers to follow that will aid in making their research writing readable and understandable for the intended audience. Suggestions include questions to address, and tips, hints, and reminders to improve writing skills. (JMV)

Describes and explores a collaborative classroom research project between a secondary English teacher and a university education faculty member. Examines shifting power relations in the classroom, competing agendas, constraints imposed by the study's design, and differences in interpretation. (SR)

Gathers qualitative and quantitative measures in a formative analysis of the Writing to Read program. Finds that qualitative measures supported student, parent, and teacher satisfaction related to the program and that some statistically significant differences were found between first- and second-grade Writing to Read students and control…

Examines journalism students' attitudes toward revision and the kinds of changes students make as they revise. Finds that students perceived revising their work either helped them earn a better grade or helped them learn more from the assignment and that surface level changes predominate over meaning changes. Discusses five guidelines for teaching…

Investigates how and when novice employees (who are also seniors at a cooperative engineering college) learn to write like engineers. Finds that students perceive abstract rules and training as least useful and view the embodied experience of models and interaction with experts as most productive, particularly when combined with practice and…

Investigates whether changes in the written structure of a proposal will affect the reader's attitudes. Maintains that writers can help readers of proposals by providing the information, detail, and structure the reader expects. (SR)

Examines misspellings made by English speakers writing in English and German, concluding that English spelling is almost seven times more difficult than German. Classifies errors and discusses reasons for them. Relates the misspellings to the redundant letters removed in "Cut Spelng" to show how far such a technique for simplifying…

Promotes the use of oral evidence in composition historiography to guard against overgeneralization and simplistic reduction of composition history to binary oppositions. Defends oral data against positivistic attacks on its reliability as evidence argues for its evidentiary value. (SR)

Discusses how English instruction has changed in recent decades, and questions whether the changes constitute a real "paradigm shift." Outlines the historical discussion regarding the changes as paradigm shift. Shows how paradigms have often come into sharp opposition through cultural exchanges. Advocates a constructivist paradigm. (HB)

Investigates effects of explicit instruction in notetaking. Suggests that explicit instruction in notetaking is effective in improving sixth-grade students' lecture comprehension and attitudes toward notetaking. Notes that future research may emphasize a longer treatment period with a delayed comprehension measure. (RS)

Suggests that exploring the topic of boredom in the writing class offers an opportunity to help students become more self-conscious about aspects of their writing. Describes the process of investigation of "boredom," partly as a model and partly to indicate what was discovered. Discusses what students and professionals say about the…

Responds to Sarah J. McCarthey's article in the same issue. Considers particularly the limitations of McCarthey's research design. (HB)

Explores William Harvey's work, "On the Motion of the Heart and Blood in Animals." Highlights Harvey's fear of publication and his strategies for reducing resistance to his ideas. Underscores his use of circular references, metaphors, and organizational techniques that enhance and demonstrate his underlying thesis. (SG)