Describes a classroom activity in which a group of five students compose an essay together which meets the following academic objectives: (1) awareness of what constitutes a thesis; (2) understanding of evidence which can be used to support such a thesis; and (3) a conception of a conventionally developed five-paragraph essay. (RAE)

A method of assessing rater reliability via a design of overlapping rater teams is presented. Covariances or correlations of ratings can be analyzed with LISREL models. Models in which the rater reliabilities are congeneric, tau-equivalent, or parallel can be tested. Two examples based on essay ratings are presented. (TJH)

Explores essay writing problems common to intermediate and advanced English-as-a-second-language students and suggests such remedies as pre-writing exercises and post-writing analysis to help students overcome these problems. (Author/CB)

The effects on essay scores of intermingling handwritten and word-processed student essays were studied with 32 students who produced handwritten and word-processed essays. Essays were converted to the other format and rescored. Results reveal higher average scores for handwritten essays. Implications for scoring are considered. (SLD)

Explored the hypothesis that Arab learners of English as a Second Language (ESL) transfer Arabic text organization features into their English writing by examining essays written by 30 Arab ESL students and 30 non-Arab ESL students. The results indicated little evidence of transfer in either group. Implications for further research are discussed.…

Expert judgments of prompt difficulty in essay tests were examined to discover whether they could be used at the item-writing stage of test development. Findings show that "expert judges" share considerable agreement about prompt difficulty and prompt task type, but they cannot predict which prompts will result in high or low scores for…

Contends that there are specific reasons that most college application essays are poorly written. Explains what English teachers can do to change this situation. (HB)

Argues that scholars need to develop a more rhetorical perspective on the history of rhetoric to encompass rhetoric's dual nature as an intellectual discipline and a practical political art. Reviews history of rhetoric in England and Scotland during the 18th century when the distance between the educated world and the public sphere narrowed when…

Examined the effects of daily grammar reviews and correction feedback on student performance in a college-level Spanish culture and conversation course. Results found that although the plus-grammar group significantly outperformed the nongrammar group on grammar-focused instruments, both groups performed equally well on an essay. (47 references)…

Examined repetition in expository essays written by 24 college-level nonnative speakers (NNSs) and 16 native speakers (NSs) of English. A qualitative comparison of three essays from each group showed that NNSs did not match their degree of repetition to the development of the argument structure of the text in the same way as NSs. (contains 31…

Analysis of essays by first-year college students on humanities and social science subjects suggests that problems in style and structure stem from student misunderstandings of discipline-specific assumptions and conventions concerning critical analysis and "argument." Discussions and models can help students create new, academically…

Elaborates on and responds to challenges of direct writing assessment. Speculates on future directions in writing assessment. Suggests that, if writing instructors accept that writing is a multidimensional, situational construct that fluctuates across a wide variety of contexts, then they must also respect the complexity of teaching and testing…

Preservice teachers (n=75) wrote reflective essays about their experiences presenting a reflective teaching lesson that illustrated one of four different instructional domains. Analysis of the essays indicates that reflection was similar and stable across the reflective experiences, despite the instructional domain and level. (IAH)

National Assessment of Educational Progress writing sample essays from 1988 and 1990 (495 and 599 essays) were subjected to computerized grading and human ratings. Cross-validation suggests that computer scoring is superior to a two-judge panel, a finding encouraging for large programs of essay evaluation. (SLD)

Discusses the trials and tribulations of students who struggle with reading and writing assignments centered on the essay form. Argues that students must be shown the artistic merit of the essay form to produce and appreciate essays. Considers how the essay as form provides a spirit to be followed in teaching and in life. (HB)