A survey was conducted to measure attitudes toward writing and toward methods of teaching writing to discover whether or not there were measurable differences between traditional college-aged students and older students and to consider what instructional implications such differences might have. Respondents included 137 students between 18 and 24…

Forty-three students in a developmental English course participated in a study to discover whether students' writing would improve and their satisfaction with the course would be increased if they were permitted to revise their papers after the papers were marked but before they were graded rather than after the papers were both marked and graded,…

Describes a California junior high school program using "Writing across the Curriculum." As the program developed over the years, writing became viewed more as a legitimate learning tool. (MD)

Examines two West Virginia writing centers and finds no significant difference in the writing quality growth of students taught by individualized instruction in writing centers and those taught by conventional classroom instruction. Finds that the writing center programs achieved the same gain at one-half the instructional cost. (RS)

Contends that composition studies risks a detrimental borrowing of prestige from science, a borrowing that is not only potentially misleading but also too limiting if it draws attention away from the broad spectrum of considerations inherent in composition studies. (RAE)

Summarizes recently articulated research needs in business and technical communication. Argues that qualitative studies of writing on the job and in the classroom are the most needed form of empirical research. Shows how research can be conducted using one type of qualitative research, ethnography. (JAD)

Investigates the ways sociologists perceive and evaluate student writing. Suggests that writing instructors need to examine closely the responses of academic readers to student texts in order to identify patterns of comprehension and evaluation that characterize disciplinary discourse communities. (MS)

Outlines research undertaken by Sarah W. Freedman (Center for the Study of Writing) and Alex McLeod (University of London) to discover the extent to which increased interest in writing instruction and reform have affected classroom practice in the United States and the United Kingdom. (JAD)

Discusses conceptions of writing that have developed since the nineteenth century and identifies five elements of written expression. Describes how behavioral techniques can be applied to various aspects of written expression, such as handwriting and grammatical skills, and examines the effects of negative criticism and forms of positive…

Outlines a project designed to develop and extend the writing of 10- and 11-year-old students that utilized an interdisciplinary thematic approach and emphasized writing within meaningful contexts. The unit, which linked the study of color with Bible study, incorporated the strategies of conferencing and drafting. (SKC)

Notes that recent work in argumentation has emphasized social and disciplinary influences on argumentative discourse, that rhetoricians have also been debating the role of good reasons in argument, and that the informal logic movement has shown increasing awareness of the rhetorical dimensions of argument. (SKC)

Indicates that, on the first task, both the dyadic rewriting group and the individual writing group significantly outperformed the individual rewriting group on a communication score. Finds that the ordering of means on this measure (from highest to lowest) was individual rewriters, dyadic rewriters, then writing individuals. (JD)

Argues that teachers can help bring writing-for-assessment and writing-as-process into closer interplay by helping students develop their overall writing skills and learn how to adapt them to timed situations. Claims that taking advantage of the latest composition research will help teachers do this. (JD)

Analyzes score differences for the papers of 50 students who wrote on four different writing topics, two that were on transactional and two that were on expressive topics. Results suggested that differences between scores might be very important for individuals, so to insure fairness, teachers should use additional forms of writing assessment. (DF)

Studies the fate of scientific observations as they pass from original reports intended for scientific peers into popular accounts aimed at a general audience. (FL)