Presents a case study of a fourth-grade boy who was an active, intelligent boy who was not coping well with reading and writing in school. Discusses observations of, and conversations with, the boy and his parents in their home. Demonstrates the importance of educators' having a family perspective on students' language and literacy development.…

Examines collaborative pedagogy in English departments in the United States in two contrasting decades, the 1930s and the 1950s. Focuses on the practices discussed in three English journals: "English Journal,""College English," and "College Composition and Communication." (HB)

Argues for an activity-based theory of genre knowledge. Provides data from case study research concerning "insider knowledge" about genres of academic cultures. Proposes five general principles as a basis for a theory of genre. (HB)

Explores the differences between e-mail and paper mail, focusing on audience, interface, and rhythm of response. Argues that technological change triggers other changes in a system, creating discomfort, and that this discomfort should not prevent English and writing teachers from studying and accepting e-mail as a legitimate site for writing. (RS)

Shows that children in the primary grades possessed considerable working knowledge of the cultural conventions of narrative genres but much less working knowledge of the cultural conventions of informational genres. Reveals grade-related developmental differences for some dimensions of linguistic and textual organization. Shows that cultural…

Explores intercultural communication in one multinational organization in Quito, Ecuador where United States and South American personnel developed documentation and instructional texts. Finds that communication of South Americans was usually oral, contextual, concrete, personal, and narrative; and that of U.S. personnel was written, acontextual,…

Discusses formative experiments in literacy research. Outlines six components of a formative experiment. Offers an example of a formative experiment and describes establishing a pedagogical goal, specifying and justifying an intervention, collecting data, adapting the intervention in light of data, unanticipated effects, and changes in the…

Finds that rates of student participation in online discourse and the nature of that participation related to the nature of in-class lecture and discussion, to the ways in which the instructor framed and managed the uses of computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies, to the structure of the course, and to students' perceptions of the…

Suggests that when first-year students composed on screen, they developed a tendency to expand their writing processes; and that when upper-level students did, they tended to collapse their processes. Suggests that first-year and upper-level students interacting with a computer can learn and adopt different types of writing strategies. (SR)

Describes a study of four Year 10 students' writing produced over a five-week period. Finds the need for (1) more time for teaching English, and (2) a whole-school approach to literacy. Points out that education policymakers should provide funding, resources, professional development, and guidance in the area of literacy. (NH)

Examines how a shift to an online writing course affected underprepared students. Finds the guided writing environment enhanced instruction and improved student retention and pass rates. (NH)

Analyzes the role of computers in supporting the writing process in a large-scale, multisite action research study into use of computers as tools for learning. Notes that the computers and desktop publishing significantly affected the conduct of the action research as well as the collaborative relationship between teacher-researchers and the…

Compares essays composed by secondary school students with pen and paper to those composed on a word processor. Finds that word-processed essays were neater, longer, more formal, and had a weaker voice than pen-and-paper essays. Finds word-processed essay quality was unaffected for students with high to medium computer experience but was adversely…

Examines Internet sources cited by students in research papers for a literature class. Finds that 42% cited Web sites were confirmed student papers; 88% were very short; and 75% did not connect when typed as shown in bibliographies. Offers guidelines for acceptable online research to help students locate good quality Web sites. (SR)

Addresses how mentoring relationships in physics work to teach composing in advanced academic contexts and what can make them more or less effective. Identifies and discusses three factors that may constrain situated learning: newcomer's existing skills, the implicitness of situated learning, and the location and distribution of authority in…