A survey of 174 policymakers, employers, and college faculty attempted to identify the writing skills college graduates need to be effective citizens and productive employees. Areas of consensus are identified for the following areas: audience awareness; purpose for writing; prewriting activities; organization; drafting; collaborating; and…

Describes the annual Puget Sound Writing Program Institute for Teachers of Writing. Explains that teacher-participants, who were assigned to discuss in writing their writing processes, challenged the program codirectors to do the same. Includes a codirector's notes on her thoughts about writing. (SG)

Shows 16 kindergarten children's literacy development as indicated by the use of 6 specific story elements (classic story version, connected events, fantasy experiences, goal-directed experiences, personal experiences, and social interactions) in the children's original stories. Finds support for the belief that learning to read and learning to…

Thirty-three gifted fourth graders received writing strategy instruction and were given a goal of learning to use the strategy of writing paragraphs. The children who received feedback on their progress achieved better writing outcomes and transfer than children who did not. These children judged their self-efficacy for writing improvement higher…

Two fourth grade boys with learning disabilities learned to use the Bank Street Writer III word processing and spelling checker program to edit spelling errors. Both boys learned to manage the spell-checking process and increased the spelling accuracy of their edited texts. Differences in their learning processes and the tool's limitations are…

Ongoing computerized procedural facilitation with strategies and writing-related metacognitions for improving writing during and after computerized assistance--the Writing Partner (WP)--was studied, using 60 Israeli high school students. Compared to two non-WP groups, the WP group wrote better essays, internalized explicitly provided guidance, and…

This review of the University of Maryland's research program in written language indicates that the writing difficulties of students with learning disabilities stem, in part, from problems with basic text production skills, scant knowledge about writing, and difficulties with planning and revising text. The effectiveness of various instructional…

Examines the use of word processing by undergraduate business communication students at the University of Nebraska. Finds that very few use word processors as their primary writing tool. Notes that few business communication textbooks address the use of word processing. Suggests business instructors emphasize the use of word processing in all…

Reviews studies on the whole-language approach of pairing reading and writing courses to enhance the learning in both. Describes a study of 154 students enrolled in basic writing. Results suggest that simultaneous enrollment in a reading class will not significantly influence ability to pass basic writing. (PAA)

Describes how the author used class letter writing to fulfill both academic functions and affective functions. Discusses the remarkably different results produced using two different methods (a class newsletter and an electronic forum), noting that circumstances of the class and the purpose of the instructor help determine which method is more…

Describes portfolio development as it is carried out in one English-as-a-Second-Language classroom. This includes essays required in the complete portfolios, rationale for each essay, and arrangement of essays within the portfolio. Shows the process by which students develop their portfolios, including outline, rough draft, peer comments, and…

Describes the justification for design and implementation of a UNIX-based computer-assisted language-instruction system using a network of workstations containing functions useful for instructors and students as well as researchers. The present investigation is aimed at teaching writing to Japanese students at the University of Aizu in Japan.…

Sixth-grade class members met Washington state writing standards by creating their own newspaper and using rubrics to remind themselves of the requirements each article had to meet. Student activities were also linked to the Foxfire core practices. Student comments are included, demonstrating their development as independent, self-directed…

Shows how one first-grade teacher explicitly modeled her own authorship processes and how students took up those processes in their own writing. Analyzes classroom discourse to illustrate how the teacher and students shifted roles in the participation framework of writing activity among teacher, author, co-author, and overhearer to facilitate the…

Describes the cooperative learning activities and writing process techniques used in writing classes that include students from 14 different countries. Most students report greater confidence and comfort learning writing through group work. Teaching the process of writing helps the majority of students to recognize and appreciate the value of…