Discusses several examples of "writing process" research indicating their shortcomings. Points to the work of I. A. Richards as an indication of the kinds of research that should be conducted. (FL)

Describes the methodology and results of a study to examine the feasibility of applying business communication and journalism guidelines on sex discrimination in evaluating in-house corporate newsletters. Suggests that a degree of editorial awareness of potential bias has been achieved, although a few areas of linguistic sexism remain. (HTH)

Examined whether instruction on a single structure (the relative clause, the appositive, and the infinitive nominal) would alter frequency of use or global syntactic complexity and whether this instruction lasted beyond the immediate posttest. (HOD)

Analyzes the use of transitional markers in 25 published essays. Concludes that while marker usage at times obfuscates rather than clarifies relationships, it can also enhance the writer's authority and provide both writer and reader with a mental respite before they plunge into the next thought. (MM)

Summarizes responses of upper- and middle-management executives about hiring procedures and the writing requirements of management and entry level employees. Includes recommendations for college students preparing to enter the business/industrial world. (HTH)

An educator at Bryant College (Rhode Island), a business-oriented college, sought to better understand the effects of gender as they operate within and through the school's writing center. Bryant College's female students attend a college with a student body of about 40% females and 60% males. The hypothesis in a study was that female students…

Individuals mostly write texts which are directed to other persons, the readers. Even though individuals cannot rely on immediate reactions, as in spoken dialogue, they are nevertheless able to communicate successfully with them. A writing experiment focused on the role of the addressee in the writing process. Writers grouped in pairs were asked…

A study investigated the effects of four writing strategies on fifth graders' idea production across three aims of discourse (informative, expressive, and persuasive) and the effect of gender. The four strategies tested were clustering, drawing, freewriting, and thinking. More than 100 children from varied socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic…

A study examined how college tutors make sense of tutoring sessions and how their analysis in turn influences their subsequent decisions and actions. Subjects were two tutors who were asked five questions over a period of two sequential tutoring sessions. One tutor realized that her goal was to help students earn better grades, that she managed…

A story told about soliciting comments and criticisms from students during a class one day reveals a number of disturbing techniques used in academic story-telling. Such story telling, which has become increasingly common in academic teaching/writing journals of late, creates the deceptive impression of sincerity and intimacy. In this case, the…

Researchers investigated the influence that perceived choice of music would have on student writing productivity. Participants included 2 fourth-grade classes in Louisa and Madison Counties, Virginia, for a total of 32 students. A survey was used to determine participants' preferences of music. A quasi-experimental design was utilized to…

To illustrate the principles of partial specification in writing research, six emerging paradigms of writing research are considered. It is shown that each of these paradigms makes contradictory claims as to what constitutes the principal causative context of classroom writing competence. The sociopolitical implications for these paradigms are…

Describes a case study of the composing strategies used by a professional writer, Donald Murray, concentrating on his planning and revision processes. (FL)

Concludes from an analysis of student writing and interviews with individual students that they benefit from being offered a variety of writing assignments and from the opportunity to apply their own knowledge, background, and experiences to their writing. (AEA)

Examines materials in the ERIC database on the characteristics of the reluctant writer, the effect of apprehension on writing performance, and teaching strategies to encourage writing proficiency. (HTH)