A quantitative analysis of the use of conjuncts in two genres of written English, business news stories and academic journal articles, revealed a much higher frequency of conjunct use in the journal articles. A brief discussion focuses on the pedagogical implications of this study, and suggestions for further research are presented. (26…

Analysis of five biology and five biochemistry professional journal articles' use of the English present perfect tense revealed that both disciplines used the tense most frequently in the introduction and discussion sections, typically conveying the meaning of a past experience with current relevance. (CB)

Examination of English as a second language students' (N=59) preference for and views on feedback on written work revealed three categories of students: receptors (46 percent); semi-resistor (41 percent); and resistors (13 percent). Students' progression from English learners to apprentices in their chosen discipline increased their restrictions…

Evaluates and analyzes four recent theoretical and pedagogical books concerned with writing portfolios for teachers of writing. Discusses various issues and theoretical concerns of practitioners advocating the use of portfolios. (HB)

Provides an overview of the conversational roles taken on by students and teachers during college-level writing conferences. Uses the performative theory of Erving Goffman to analyze these role patterns. Illuminates the specific performative demands presented by writing conferences on both students and teachers. (HB)

Outlines a text-based, interactionist approach toward writing and written communication. A brief analysis of the working drafts and revisions of a first-year college student's essay is offered to illustrate how key textual features function reflexively to establish and sustain the evolving but mutually held rational grounds of school writing and…

To investigate the effect on item parameter estimation of pooling the raters' ratings and to examine the information content of 2 types of writing samples, the partial credit model was fit to 2,000 writing samples from secondary students that had been holistically scored. Implications for test construction are discussed. (SLD)

A system is presented for advancing writing assessment beyond simple summative statements into a procedure for planning and evaluating instruction for all students, particularly those with learning disabilities. Case studies are presented in which writing samples are analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively for story idea,…

This article presents a seven-step informal assessment procedure for evaluating the form and function of paragraph composition, useful with students who have difficulty in written expression. The procedure uses dichotomous scoring to reduce subjectivity, facilitates instructional decision making, awards points for grammatically correct sentences,…

Describes a composition teacher's efforts to diagnose her vocational college students' literacy skills by using a more authentic performance assessment that integrates reading and writing. (SR)

Presents the results of a survey of 100 English-as-a-Second-Language college students about what kinds of paper corrective marking techniques help them the most to improve their writing, which corrections they read, which corrections they retain best, and their reactions to positive and negative comments on the form and content of their writing.…

Relates a classroom teacher's observations of how students, working in pairs, help each other to move forward in the writing process. Describes the experiences of an English teacher using journals to teach writing to inner-city teenagers. Outlines the teacher's expectations, the steps of journal writing, and goals for becoming a better teacher.…

Investigation of the use of a multiple-trait scoring procedure to obtain communicative writing profiles of adult nonnative English speakers found that the scoring method was highly reliable in composite assessment, but provided little psychometric support for assessing certain individual writing components. (28 references) (Author/CB)

Describes a writing assignment in which students from two different first-year composition classes evaluated and graded each other's papers. Discusses how this established a genuine audience, empowered students, and generated enthusiasm. (SR)

Describes how a writing teacher used Classroom Assessment Techniques to improve the functioning of editing groups in her classroom, involving students directly and honestly in classroom management and evaluation of instruction. (SR)