The purpose of this study is to investigate the writing processes of second language (L2) writers, specifically examining the writing strategies of three Chinese post-graduate students in an Australian higher education institution. The study was prompted by the paucity of second language writing strategies of Chinese students in an authentic…

Background: This study involved a bicoastal project between four composition classes, two in California and two in Pennsylvania. The focus was on how students read, write, and converse about ethnic and spiritual distinctiveness and the role of writing in identity development. Purpose: The researchers exercised a variety of methods (diverse…

In this article Sarah Guth describes an online course for writing research articles in English she developed for engineering students at the University of Padua in Italy. Designed to overcome time-space constraints as well as to provide both linguistic and discipline-specific feedback, the course integrated peer editing as a key component of…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

This article presents a comprehensive model of daily, classroom informal writing assessment that is constantly linked to instruction and the characteristics of proficient writers. Methods for promoting teacher, student, and parent collaboration and their roles in dialoguing, conferencing, and reflection are discussed. Strategies for including…

A 3-year classroom study of learning styles among students of advanced English-as-a-Second-Language composition in Taiwan is reported. The study gathered data on 81 students' preferred learning styles and classroom tasks through closed-item and open-ended questionnaires, writing conference interviews, and student journals. Results indicate that…

This book offers "teacher-friendly" lessons to plan flexible, interesting writer's workshop programs for students. The book gives short, self-contained lessons to boost writing skills and raise interest levels, whether they are used as a regular part of curriculum or plugged in as time allows. The book's 73 mini-lessons give the help…

A study examined methods for helping students earn their Literacy Passport, mandated for all students by the Virginia Department of Education, prior to entering the ninth grade, beginning in grade 6. Teachers were trained at North Accomack Elementary School (Virginia) in the use and implementation of the writing process and in writing to a prompt.…

To assist second language teachers, administrators, parents, and other teachers to better understand how foreign language instruction helps students develop literacy skills, this paper discusses research about the commonalities between first and second language reading and writing. It is an outgrowth of the North Carolina State Board of…

The result of an investigation into the grading writing by the National Council of Teachers of English Committee on Alternatives to Grading Student Writing, this collection of essays offers the writing teacher several innovative and interesting options. Following an introduction by the editor (chair of the Committee), in which he delineates the…

Deconstruction for reconstruction is a classroom teaching technique designed to help students improve writing skills. The objective is to write natural expanded sentences that fit in a cohesive paragraph. The technique evolved from observation of many intermediate and upper-intermediate students of English as a Second Language for whom writing…

Many high school English teachers rank their priorities according to the expectations of the institution in which they work. The scope of high school English teachers' jobs also differs from that of their college sisters and brothers. The former see themselves as accountable for the growth of the whole child, in addition to the growth of the…

Intended to help students improve their writing and perform better on writing assessments, this concise guide discusses strategies for planning, writing, and revising a timed essay. The guide offers dozens of assignments and sample questions which provide many opportunities for students to practice and build confidence. It also informs about…

This handbook is one of a set of six which provide a systematic means to help students in grades 4 through 8 learn the process of writing while building specific writing skills. The handbook focuses on paragraph writing, and offers 25 reproducible lessons, in a variety of formats, to help students improve their use of descriptive, narrative,…

The controversy over two approaches to writing instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), product and process orientations, is reviewed based on articles appearing in the Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages' quarterly professional journal from 1982-1991. In the process-oriented approach, instructional practices emphasize the…