Evaluation of CUES, a computer program designed to improve the essay writing of English-as-a Second-Language students, measured student opinions on the effectiveness of the program. The research included the employment of both formal and informal evaluation measures, providing a balanced assessment of computer-assisted language learning software.…

Discusses the need for critical review of expert scientific findings used in the development of social policy. Uses the case of dissent from the Institute of Medicine's report on health care for the homeless to illustrate the conflict between scientific and practical moral objectivity. (FMW)

Describes a content area writing lesson which uses a process approach to promote independent student writing and to aid retention. Uses the Predict, Organize, Rehearse, Practice, Evaluate (PORPE) strategy which provides teacher modeling of effective strategies, guided student practice, and feedback. (RS)

Five essays among those judged to be excellent in the 1995 Advanced Placement Examinations are presented. Each is a timed essay, and for each, the test question and time limit are given. Subject areas include art history, psychology, comparative government and politics, and English literature and composition. (MSE)

This study investigated the effects of teachers' psychological presence on writing task engagement in students reporting low and high levels of linguistic self-efficacy. Results found that teachers play important roles in shaping students' task-related engagement, with a complex relationship between teachers' pedagogical beliefs and practices and…

One college mathematics teacher finds that asking students to write brief essays about their attitudes toward and experiences with mathematics offers insight into student motivation, perceptions and misperceptions, and emotional responses. The essay serves as a communication and motivational tool for both teacher and students. (MSE)

The process used to select candidates for teacher training at a university department of education in the United Kingdom is described. Selection criteria, interview techniques, and essay requirements are reviewed for applicants for the training program. Tutors make assessments of candidates' personality during interviews, and these assessments…

The effects of two distinct ways of responding to a student essay (discrete-item attention to form and holistic feedback on meaning) were compared for a linguistically diverse group of 26 first-year college students. Findings suggest that the holistic response is likely to result in improvements in grammatical accuracy. (19 references) (Author/LB)

Identifies problems of definition affecting the assessment of writing skills. Considers the strengths and weaknesses of three methods of assessing writing: multiple-choice testing, essay testing, and portfolio assessment. Offers recommendations about what should and should not be done in assessing written communication skills. (DMM)

Describes a six-week summer remedial writing program at the State University of New York at Buffalo, which utilized instructional approaches designed to accommodate students' learning styles. Results on pre- and posttests of essay-writing ability, sentence fluency, and attitudes toward writing revealed improvements in all areas following the…

Explores how difficult it is for a non-Indian to obtain an accurate view of American Indians. Helping professionals are not immune; they also have absorbed the views of the dominant culture. The author's work with the Oglala Lakota people of South Dakota illustrates the difficulties that therapists face. (SLD)

Describes an on-line mark-up-based composition learning environment system called CoCoA (Communicative Collection Assisting System). This system allows students and teachers to engage in marked-up documents via the Internet, and its environment is very similar to a real-world one in which people use pen and paper. CCML also facilitates teachers to…

Describes an exploration the author and his seventh-grade students undertook as they wrote essays about objects of personal significance. Describes how they examined a piece of literature (an essay) as a model for their own writing, how they spent some time talking and listening to one another about their personal objects, and how they then wrote…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are required to pass the same competency exams as students enrolled in general education in order to graduate to new grade levels and to earn a high school diploma. In this study, the authors taught students with SLD a self-directed organizational strategy designed to assist them in passing the…

The topic of the assignment for eighth-grade students was reporting on the forest fires in Indonesia in chronological order, from 26 August to 27 September 1997. The final stage of the assignment was composing a report in essay format. The goal of this presentation was to examine the historical interpretation of the events and to simultaneously…