Considers how ideology in its various manifestations intersects with collaborative composing both in the business writing class and in the corporation. Describes several classroom experiences which demonstrate how ideology influences students' collaborative dynamics. Considers from a more distant vantage how specific composing ideologies influence…

Examines composition research in the annotated bibliographies appearing from December 1984 to May 1989 in the journal "Research in the Teaching of English." Considers the question of what has been learned from this large corpus of research. Focuses on topics on which little research has been done and areas in which enough work has…

Describes and evaluates seven organizational/motivational academic research guides, and points out their value to the dissertation writer. States doctoral students frequently rely on major professors and fellow students in learning how to plan, execute, and document their work. Recommends incorporating these guides into dissertation strategies.…

Provides a conceptual overview of the four studies on management writing included in this issue. Relates research on written management communication to evolving conceptions of workplace literacy. Argues that stronger emphasis should be placed upon innovative methods of creating organizational attention to managers' writing as both process and…

Illustrates how the following educational goals are being reached with existing software and hardware: integrating reading and writing instruction; providing a new sense of community among readers; and encouraging a shared exploration of cultural contexts. (MM)

Investigates the similarities and differences in cognitive processing during reading and writing activities as reported in the think-aloud protocols of an above-average and a below-average student. Concludes that the above-average student reported more behaviors and more behaviors that facilitated meaning-making than the below-average student. (RS)

Presents a year-long study of the duties, skills, and knowledge required of business- and technical-communication professionals in Boston, Massachusetts. Focuses on six categories of practice: technical communication, publishing, public relations, marketing, development, and training. Suggests that in the next decade communication practitioners…

Examines the characteristics of prewriting activities of unsuccessful writers who took the Alberta Universities' Writing Competence Test. Finds that the students' limited and ineffective use of prewriting strategies interferes with their ability to generate and develop ideas in writing a timed essay. (KEH)

Compares the written production of 12 sixth grade English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students on 3 teacher-assigned tasks with their writing to the teacher in dialogue journals. Finds that the quantity and maturity of the dialogue journal writing was at least equivalent to the assigned writing on all measures. (RS)

Examines three writing assignment variables--topic, purpose, and audience--to determine how writing prompts affect student performance in grades 7, 9, and 11, and in college freshmen. Finds these variables influenced writing quality at different grades in different ways; generally, specific purpose and topic cues produced better essays. (SR)

Reports a longitudinal study in which first drafts on one assigned topic and one self-selected topic were collected once a year in grades one-three, and were analyzed for story structure, syntax, and cohesion. Finds no significant differences between the writing for the two tasks except in the area of cohesion. (SR)

Compares the rhetorical context of essay exams with that of assignments written outside of class. Reports differences in pedagogical function, prompts, rhetorical function, mechanics, style, and organization. Refutes two common assumptions: that essay exams are not a genre and that they work against students' mastery of writing process skills.…

Describes how one school district integrated the use of word processing technology with its developmental writing program. Notes that findings of the pilot program indicated that students using word processors significantly improved the quality of their writing compared with students not using word processors. (MM)

Examines the effectiveness of the Children's Handwriting Evaluation Scale-Manuscript (CHES-M) in diagnosing handwriting problems in the primary grades. Concludes that the CHES-M is a reliable diagnostic tool and is easy to administer and score. (RS)

Reviews research on the effect of computers on writing. Concludes that students will not automatically revise and write more successfully with a word processor, that students tend to submit papers with fewer mechanical errors using word processors, and that they enjoy writing more and may collaborate more. (RS)