Against the backdrop of proliferating research on multimodality in the fields of literacy and writing studies, this article considers the contributions of two prominent theoretical perspectives--Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and Situated Literacies--and the methodological tensions they raise for the study of multimodality. To delineate…

Collaborative inquiry among faculty focused on common teaching and learning questions can result in a rich array of outcomes. This paper reports on Digital Literacies, a collaborative inquiry project focused on infusing the use of computers and collaborative on-line writing environments into our college writing program. Participants were members…

The purpose of the current quantitative correlational study was to investigate the relationship the qualifications of special education teachers and their preferred writing instruction method either formulaic or process writing. The study investigated the relationship between professional development in writing instruction, years of experience,…

While tolerance is the supposed standard of the first-year composition classroom, the writing patterns and argumentation skills of self-identified Christian students often frustrate teachers and create classroom dissonance and interpersonal divergence. This work looks at what apologetic and devotional texts these students are reading before they…

"The New Digital Scholar" presents innovative thinking and groundbreaking research on the challenges NextGen students face with research-writing projects. Reminding readers of the history of the academic research paper and the scope of the recent information explosion, editors McClure and Purdy open a discussion long silent in academic…

More and more, critical thinking and writing skills are necessary and of prime significance. Stakeholders across the board are concerned that students are deficient in these vital areas. The purpose of this study was to examine how the employment of specific, targeted and explicit critical thinking and writing instruction could enhance the…

This study explored the perceptions of the staff and faculty of one writing program in a large western university, the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). The Writing Program had experienced significant changes including budgetary reductions since 2008 as well as turnover in leadership. These changes have impacted the culture of the…

This article questions how narrative writing is assessed, seeking to understand what we test, what we value, and why. It uses a single anomalous case that arose in the course of my recent PhD thesis to highlight the issues, asking if sufficient attention is being given to the value of emotional content in a piece of writing in comparison to its…

This mixed-method study investigates the citation behaviour of a successful L2 postgraduate management student, Sofie, in two pieces of writing, written in response to two assignment tasks in two management modules. The tasks belonged to the same assignment type, but differed in the level of direction provided: one was a directed task, accompanied…

In this article, the author examines Makiguchi Tsunesaburo's philosophy and practice of human geography ("jinsei chirigaku"), community studies ("kyodoka"), and composition instruction based on "value-creating pedagogy" ("soka kyoikugaku") for thinking through and responding to two competing trends…

This paper aims at accentuating and exploring the effect of using electronic portfolio (EP) platform in providing corrective feedback (CF) on EFL students' overall and micro-componential writing performance. Moreover, by conducting a semi-structured interview, the study seeks to obtain students' attitudes towards the use of EP in three aspects,…

In 2012, the State of Connecticut enacted Public Act 12-40, legislation that dramatically changed the way remedial education was theorized, designed, and delivered at community colleges and regional state universities in Connecticut. One of the most controversial features of this legislative movement was that it appeared to establish a…

This article analyzes literature on university-workplace partnerships and professional writing pedagogy to suggest best practices for workplace mentors to mentor new employees and their writing. The article suggests that new employees often experience cultural confusion due to (a) the transfer of education-based writing strategies and (b) the…

This essay explores the influence of the discourse and practices of the learning outcomes assessment (LOA) movement on three composition instructors' assignments and assessments. While outcomes assessment by itself can be a useful tool, it cannot be separated from the exigency that compels it, in which educational practices must be defended…

This study aimed to describe the writing activities that test takers engage in when responding to the writing tasks in the "TOEFL iBT"[superscript R] test and to examine the effects of task type and test-taker English language proficiency (ELP) and keyboarding skills on the frequency and distribution of these activities. Each of 22 test…