This clear, reader-friendly book is carefully designed to help readers gain confidence and acquire competence in their academic writing abilities. It focuses on real people as they write and actively involves readers in the writing process. The authors' innovative approach encourages reflection on how professional writing initiatives connect to…

With rapid developments in information technology in society being mirrored in the use of new learning technologies in universities, research into the quality of technologically-supported learning is essential. To date, research into new learning technologies has provided us with valuable knowledge that includes the theories behind their design,…

This paper describes a program implemented to improve student writing skills. Research data included teachers' observations and evaluations, student surveys, and student writing samples. Subjects were students in grades 1, 3, and 4 in 5 Illinois schools showing a need for writing improvement. Objectives were to increase writing abilities with…

A comparative study examined the extent of growth in overall writing quality of college freshmen to determine whether feedback from the instructor during planning and the composing process (especially on the computer) was more effective than another instructor's feedback during conferences on each final, graded writing product in the students'…

Reflecting a constructivist approach to teaching and learning, this book presents the content of the language arts curriculum and the most effective strategies for teaching this content. The processes of reading and writing provide the foundation for the three instructional approaches presented in the book: literature focus units, reading and…

This book presents 93 essays that offer guidance, reassurance, and commentary on the many activities leading up to and surrounding classroom instruction in first-year composition. Essays in the book are written by instructors who teach in community colleges, liberal arts colleges, state university systems, and research institutions. The 14 section…

Investigates factors influencing Japanese university students' expository writing in English. Quantitative analysis revealed that students' second-language (L2) proficiency, first-language writing ability, and metaknowledge were significant in explaining L2 writing ability variance. An explanatory model for writing ability in English as a Foreign…

Teachers in kindergarten through grade three, nominated as effective literacy teachers, were surveyed twice about their practices. Responses indicated teacher commitment to: similar instruction for all abilities, with additional support for weaker readers; literate classroom environments; modeling and teaching of both lower- and higher-order…

Describes a writing project that was set up to improve the writing skills of selected categories of corporate employees. The article considers the interplay between the technical platform for distance training scenarios and the pedagogical strategies these made available to course writers and tutors. (10 references) (Author/CK)

Offers strategies for working with international students throughout the writing process to produce more critical thinking and better text. The process approach has specific advantages for non-native speakers of English. Implementing it involves techniques encouraging prewriting, planning, conference groups and peer support, and multiple drafts.…

The computer can be a powerful tool to help students who are having difficulty learning the skills of prewriting, composition, revision, and editing. Specific software is suggested for each phase, as well as for classroom publishing. (Author/JDD)

Describes the use of a local area network and video switching equipment in teaching revision skills on computer. Explains that reading stories from texts, rewriting them from differing character viewpoints, and editing them as a group exposed students to a variety of writing problems and stimulated various revision strategies. (SG)

Investigates how children represent meaning in their response to stories through listening, speaking, reading, drawing, and writing. Finds no one particular language process to be exclusively used by children to convey meaning in response to story. Discovers sequential and simultaneous linkage patterns of language process modality. (KEH)

Describes a case study that was designed to discover how seventh-grade students felt about writing when composed using a word processing program compared to using pen and paper. Student and teacher interviews are discussed, classroom observations are reported, and factors students found important to enjoyment of writing assignments are described.…

Reviews Monsters and Make-Believe Plus, a computer program which supports learners in their quest to become skilled language users. Finds it to be one of the most powerful software programs available to implement a whole language program. (MG)