In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Washington eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the West region of the United States and the nation (using data from the…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of West Virginia eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Virgin Islands eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students nationwide (using data from the NAEP national assessments). In the Virgin…

A study analyzed 368 letters (179 children letters and 189 adult letters) in order to document children's thinking about the substance of the epistolary genre and to determine the influence of the adult pen pal letters on the children's letters. Students, 19 third graders and 19 college students, were randomly paired as pen pals. Establishing six…

This paper reports on the preliminary stage of a research project examining the kinds of writing that teachers are required to produce as part of their study when undertaking masters-level courses in education. The paper states that of particular interest is the way in which the particular writing these writing teachers do for these courses…

The computer-mediated communication (CMC) learning environment focuses on children's interaction with the computers and their mastery of the technology as potential for learning. Peer interaction mainly in cooperative and collaborative learning environments (CL) focus on the contribution of peers to literacy and writing development. A study…

Research shows that writing can be used across the curriculum to help students come to grips with their understanding (or lack of understanding) of information presented in each day's lessons. Teachers of all subjects and at all grade levels should be trained to understand the writing process and its importance for learning. (PP)

Ninth grade remedial readers at a suburban Chicago high school were given a language development program which included reading while listening to tapes and lessons in syntactic manipulation. Analysis of program effects showed that students improved their ability to understand and manipulate syntactic structures. Reading did not improve markedly.…

Reviews the research literature on the teaching of writing. Lists practices and procedures that the research shows to be either helpful or of dubious value. (AEA)

Recounts the year-long interaction between teachers and teacher consultants during efforts to evaluate student writing, to survey teacher practices, and to survey student attitudes toward writing. (RL)

Examines the writing of five administrators and six caseworkers in a county social services agency to determine their sensitivity to rhetorical issues and writing style. (HOD)

Examines the effects of stressing three phases of the composing process (feedback, revision, and invention) in the teaching of composition. (HOD)

Examines research on cultural literacy (knowledge of what others know) and relates this research to writing skills and the teaching of writing. (RL)

Investigated the utility of a hierarchical moral development model, derived from Piaget and Kohlberg, for analyzing moral attitudes expressed in the persuasive writing of 30 children, ages 7-13. Concluded that a cumulative stage theory of moral development is more appropriate than a discrete stage theory for analyzing children's writing.…

Demonstrates that the manner in which fourth-grade students develop points of view in classroom writing is a function of the verbal interaction patterns these children maintain with their teachers. (HOD)