A study examined the problems students confront as they try to advance their own ideas when they are also asked to synthesize their interpretations of what others have said in developing a written argument. The researcher spent 15 weeks in a class of 15 students that focused on the theme of literacy. Discussions were observed and taped and…

Integrated instruction may be everyone's ideal, but it is the reality in few classrooms. This review of existing literature examines research to determine why this ideal may be infrequently realized. The review concluded that the mismatch between ideal and practice may be at least partially explained by the ambiguity in definitions in the…

Writing assignments involving newspaper portfolios or analyzing the content of a film (animated or live action) are interesting because they help students become involved with course content and improve students' critical thinking. A study examined writing assignments of these types from 21 students taking two sections of a course on child…

Heeding the call of noted rhetoric scholar Richard E. Young to engage in serious, scholarly investigations of the assumptions that underlie established practices and habits about writing, the contributors to this critical volume study a diverse array of disciplinary issues, situate their work in a wide matrix of theoretical perspectives, and…

Reviews the research relating reading and writing, offers instructional implications of that research, and points out directions for further study. (JL)

Offers resources on technical writing published in 1981. Arranges the citations under the following categories: bibliographies, books, reviews, and articles on the profession; theory and philosophy; pedagogy; technical speech; research; designing degree programs; technical writing and the computer; writing technical articles and reports;…

Examines the observations of one participant in an inservice teacher education course on classroom research in the writing process. Discusses what happened to the teacher/researchers as they engaged in the research process, what happened in their teaching, and implications for research and teacher education. (HTH)

Traditionally writing is taught in three segments: discourse, syntax, and grammar. Research in the 1970s questions this and shows that formal grammar study does little to improve student writing. Some educators are now showing that students learn English structure and grammar best as they find they need it through their own writing experiences.…

Argues that observations and an analysis of 245 letters written by elementary school students support the idea that writers and learners do know how to promote their own self-development. (JL)

Analyzes the composing processes of three children, aged two to four, as they composed with a responsible adult in a group setting. (HOD)

Suggests that direct and indirect measures of writing ability tend to tap similar skills. Concludes that educational decisions about competence in writing can be be made by using a combination of direct and indirect means. (FL)

Compares the traditional method of composition grading, marginal comments, with a more recent technique, comments on cassette tape. (HOD)

Describes a study of students' anxiety levels in the writing classroom. Results indicated a significant rise in anxiety level for "writing papers for grades," and a marked fear of failing a test. (HTH)

Reports on a study of eight corporations to assess the nature of writing done on the job, and how important writing ability was to the employee's career. Results indicated that communication ability was important to their jobs, but most employees loathed writing and considered quality writing beyond their grasp. (HTH)

Offers resources on technical writing that were published in 1980. Arranges the citations under 12 categories: bibliographies, books, reviews, and articles on theory and philosophy; pedagogy; writing technical articles and reports; research; technical writing and the computer; graphic/visual aids; correspondence; technical speech; and designing…