Questions raised by the misinterpretations evidenced in the final examination essays of a freshman English class should lead teachers to a new understanding of how the phrasing of writing assignments influences what students write. Some of the questions included: (1) How detailed must an assignment be to communicate its goals? (2) What type of…

To compare the different images of writing that different assessment methods produce, a study examined two formal writing assessments--holistic and the specially developed intra-subject paired comparison method (IPC)--of pre/post university freshman composition-course writing. The samples of writing were unrehearsed, 50 minute, in-class essays.…

A study examined the influence of the computer management feature of a commercially prepared speed reading software package on the reading rate and attitudes of college students towards computers as instructional tools. Subjects, 66 college freshman from lower-middle to middle socio-economic brackets (and divided into control and experimental…

This study is the sixth in a series of reports from the Reading-to-Write Project, a collaborative study of students' cognitive processes at one critical point of entry into academic performance. This report provides an in-depth look at how students use elaboration (bringing prior knowledge to a task), how much value elaborative material adds, and…

To help remedy the problem of college freshmen being unable to explore the diversity of writing strategies expected of them, an extensive review of current research on the composing process was undertaken. Freshmen writers must realize that composing is often a messy, recursive process based on rhetorical awareness, out of which clear and correct…

There is indeed a literacy crisis, but this crisis needs to be reconceived as a crisis in definition. Paulo Freire and Donaldo Macedo's book "Literacy: Reading the Word and the World" can be used to refute E. D. Hirsch's arguments as presented in his "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know," but this kind of…

Reveals some sources for the problems entering college students have with college writing programs. Suggests parallels between the shortcomings of high school writing instruction and those of college programs, and that the central ideas of college writing programs are antagonistic to the view of writing students receive in secondary school. (SKC)

Proposes incorporating a wide variety of texts from a variety of academic disciplines into the freshman writing course. Offers two sample text-based, process-oriented writing assignments. (HTH)

Studies original and revised essays of 60 university freshmen to determine the effects of attention to audience on improving overall compostion quality. Finds audience attention effective as a revising strategy but more effective as a drafting strategy. (NH)

Presents various teacher-tested instructional techniques: (l) using counselors to aid teachers in basic writing courses, (2) training writing teachers using the process method, (3) teaching proofreading skills (4) using imitation in literature classes (5) using lists and imaginary dialogue to supplement conventional journal writing assignments,…

Shows how the enthymeme can organize a reader's participation in the text, specifically, George Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant." (SRT)

Contrasts the traditional theory of composition with the new process theory of writing and concludes that the popularity of the new theory (with its student-centered teacher) is probably due to the compatibility of educationist theory with the unphilosophical temper of the age. (NKA)

Describes the bibliographic instruction program at Columbia State Community College's Learning Resource Center, which involves a mini-course taken in conjunction with freshman composition. Provides a syllabus and course outline. (DMM)

Appraises the computer as a prewriting aid. Evaluates both the quality and quantity of ideas produced by various invention techniques and programs, and compares results of similar studies by Hugh Burns and Helen Schwartz. (NKA)

In considering how a teacher can assert authority without giving up the benefits of classroom interaction, two premises should be acknowledged: students of a multi-ethnic classroom or with a wide range of writing skill deficiencies require more authority; and teachers should take responsibility for modeling acceptable patterns of discourse and…