Explores the sociohistoric notion of disciplinarity in a case study of how a sociology student's dissertation prospectus is negotiated in a graduate seminar. Foregrounds emergent, nonlinear, discursively heterogeneous practices of disciplinary sense-making. Details the disciplinary work of revision. (HB)

Describes the writing and drawing produced by a group of first-grade students during "writing workshop" time throughout the school year. Considers whether genres emerge in ways analogous to other aspects of writing development. Suggests that genre may indeed be emergent. (HB)

Offers two case studies which demonstrate gaps between teacher's and students' understandings and valuing of writing and revision. Argues that the more specific teacher's comments are, the more likely that students see immediately what revisions need to be made; and the narrower the conceptual boundaries of the comments, the more likely students…

Describes, in a case study-like format, a cognitive strategy that might be helpful to the learning-disabled (LD) college student who must organize and write a longer text. Presents a brief description of an LD student and an actual writing assignment. Describes how the student completed the task. Discusses educational implications. (RS)

Analyzes earlier studies which suggest that women are better than men in considering audience during writing tasks. Argues that little difference actually exists between males and females as they construct a verbal and visual set of instructions. Provides data from original research on this topic. (HB)

Identifies problems in the computer-supported group writing of MBA students who are both novice strategic report writers and novice users of technology that supports group work. Suggests several reasons for these problems. (KEH)

Describes a study in which undergraduate college students, composition instructors, and noncomposition faculty evaluate the same student writing assignments. Reports that the three groups have very different views of what constitutes good writing. Suggests a possible need to reexamine prevailing notions of academic writing. (SG)

Studies the strength of writers' memories for their texts immediately after writing and the degree to which this remembrance endures over time. Demonstrates that students do remember much of the texts they write and may have difficulty making changes. Urges instructors to use techniques that allow writers to focus on reprocessing strategies beyond…

Examines the writing of a four-year-old child in response to literature. Discusses the child's uses for writing and the concepts and principles of early writing. Demonstrates the child's engagement with children's books. (RS)

Advocates a basic writing approach that assesses potential language competence as it develops both in speech and writing, and redefines the notion of "error." Presents a pilot project in which the use of speech is found to assist basic writers in producing writing that is improved in its length, fluency, involvement, concrete detail, and…

Studies revising strategies by examining the correction-sequencing procedures implemented by 48 elementary children and 48 adults. Finds three distinct groups of subjects: those who improved the text by using one of the model strategies, those who improved the text without using a model strategy, and those who failed to improve the text. (MG)

Investigates the effects of letter writing on the writing of sixth graders. Describes the process of establishing a communicative relationship between the writer and the audience. Finds that students' writing improved in the following areas: length, syntax, paragraphing, openings and closings, questions, topics, and borrowed features. (PRA)

Surveys perceptions of technical writing held by department heads at a technological university regarding: (1) content, instruction, and assessment of a technical writing course; and (2) writing products and processes. Calls for writing program administrators to study the institutional context for courses and programs in technical writing. (SR)

Examines changes in writing apprehension and blocking behavior among first- and second-language writers in first-year composition classes using computers. Finds that computer use alone did not reduce overall apprehension for either group and that it reduced blocking behavior for second-language writers but not for first-language writers. (SR)

Presents results of a project examining the effects of writing to learn in elementary social studies. Explains that the research explored journal writing activities as a means of improving social studies achievement, writing fluency, and communication. Concludes that journal writing does increase writing fluency and learning retention. (DK)