Outlines a text-based, interactionist approach toward writing and written communication. A brief analysis of the working drafts and revisions of a first-year college student's essay is offered to illustrate how key textual features function reflexively to establish and sustain the evolving but mutually held rational grounds of school writing and…

Finds that the writing system and the reading system share many of the same orthographic, phonological, and working memory subprocesses but that the patterns of concurrent relationship between these subprocesses and writing and between these subprocesses and reading differ. Suggests that writing and reading draw upon the same as well as unique…

A text production model is considered as an instrument for researching the writing strategies of abstractors. Within this framework, abstracting is a subtype of the writer's activities, which are described in terms of text actions. A computer system can be constructed that evaluates and/or supports human text production. (Author/AEF)

Argues that understanding assignments is the first step toward successful college writing. Urges instructors to support students by helping them to decode assignments. Breaks down instructions into individual tasks including (1) writing an essay, (2) examining an issue, (3) reviewing articles and books, and (4) focusing on some texts. Defines each…

Examines how various reading and writing activities interacted over time as college students composed from multiple sources. Discusses the linear and nonlinear nature of the restructuring and composing process. Finds that individual reading and writing activities served unique yet partially overlapping functions over the course of the task.…

Presents a transcript of an interview with successful young adult author Jerry Spinelli. Describes the techniques and writing strategies used by Spinelli. Discusses ways of generating stories, and the author's concept of his audience. (HB)

Research on college student essay writing looked at the qualitatively different ways that students conceive of essays, and therefore approach the writing process, and the qualitatively different types of essays that result. The findings are compared, and implications for the teaching of undergraduate essay writing are examined. (MSE)

Claims that computer-assisted instruction can be a feasible option for the basic writing classroom. Argues that developmental writers must have the opportunity to use computers to enhance the writing process and improve critical thinking. Advocates using computers to go beyond sentence-level writing errors. (HB)

Students with deafness in a whole-language classroom complete writing exercises and then edit what they write at the "editors' table," where teams of students work with dictionaries, grammar guides, lists of commonly misspelled words, self-editing forms, and proofreading checklists. Use of the "editors' table" approach has created a community of…

Offers a sequence of writing assignments that provide experience for managerial communication students who must learn to organize thoughts and data efficiently to present information in a professional manner. Focuses on understanding context, developing points, analyzing texts, and creating an authoritative, committed voice. (KEH)

To illustrate ways that students might generate ideas for writing, this article presents a list of 20 suggestions for using prewriting to explore fiction, along with 8 guidelines for teachers to use in responding to students' writing. (43 references) (LB)

Employs a cognitive discourse analysis to analyze instructions for using a word processor written by eighth grade students. Analyzes text structure to specify underlying semantic and conceptual knowledge structures. Finds that written instructions produced by the students were deficient in content information and did not parallel the hierarchical…

Advocates teaching social skills and nurturing moral development to guide children toward positive social behavior and moral understanding. Recommends applying the same patience to teaching the social process as is applied to the teaching of the writing process. Argues against isolating children through the overuse of punishment. (SM)

Asks how religious faith and spirituality function in the creative lives of people as makers and searchers. Describes a week-long summer workshop called "Women's Space: Exploring Our Creative and Spiritual Selves." Considers the historical achievements of women as writers and thinkers, and the recent recovery of such work. (HB)

Outlines a balanced view of writing instruction emphasizing process, product, and purpose. Proposes various principles of writing that instructors should foster among student writers. Gives examples of these principles in practice. Argues for more carefully structured teacher-directed instruction. (HB)