Examines argumentative and research papers written by students using Macintoshes in comparison to those written using IBM-compatibles. Finds that differences are not large enough to justify claims that the use of a graphical user interface affects writing skills. Suggests that rapid changes in technology makes the issue moot. (RS)

Analyzes the effects of culture-referenced essay prompts/topics on the writing quality of 11th- and 12th-grade students who participated in a collaborative project between Temple University's Writing Program and four Philadelphia public high schools. Scores 711 essays holistically. Suggests that the culture-referenced topics elicited better…

Analyzes two students' responses to a self-diagnostic writing prompt. Finds that the essays are effective in allowing the reader to perform an accurate "diagnosis" and in allowing students the opportunity to articulate their own interests and concerns about their writing. (RS)

Examines the extent to which asking 20 entry-level and 19 basic-level college writing students to articulate their initial intentions for writing facilitated the identification of 3 kinds of instructional problems students face in moving from intentions to texts. Suggests that students with useful initial intentions write more effective texts than…

Observes 32 British primary schools during the academic year 1999-2000. Celebrates effective whole-school strategies for literacy, and confident approaches to the National Literacy Strategy. Features schools where achievements in literacy, and particularly in writing, are less secure. Suggests that these schools often share a conscientious, but…

Success in higher education depends on students' ability to meet the writing requirements of their chosen courses, and in many cases this involves adapting to the literacy practices of particular disciplines. While research into professional academic discourse suggests that it may reflect differences in disciplinary culture and epistemology, there…

This article explains how a learning contract helps Mr. Watson, a sixth grade middle school teacher find solutions to his problems regarding his student, Samantha's lack of motivation and self-confidence. A learning contract is a written agreement between teacher and learner in which the learner undertakes to complete mutually agreed upon tasks in…

The "Evaluation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress: Study Reports" describes the special studies that comprised the design of the evaluation. In the Final Report, the authors presented a practical discussion of the evaluation studies to its primary, intended audience, namely policymakers. On this accompanying CD, readers…

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about a quarter of the nation's middle and high school students are proficient in writing. Even among students who plan to go to college, roughly a third fall short of readiness benchmarks for college-level writing composition. Yet, the ability to write plays an increasingly…

This study examined student perspectives about writing by interviewing both typically developing and struggling writers in Grades 2 through 8. The findings revealed a progressive developmental pattern of writing knowledge in which novice writers place more emphasis on the physical product and local meaning, while more experienced writers focus on…

A study examined college students' responses to writing tasks that were created by their instructors--writing tasks that constituted an important part of the instructors' course designs and that were presented to students as an integral part of the curriculum. In all, approximately 4800 independent evaluations of 796 essays were analyzed. The…

The samples of students' writing found in this document exemplify the criteria used to score students' written responses on the June 1994 Grade 9 English Language Arts Achievement Test. Representative of the full range of students' writing, the examples in the document are intended to be used as tools to assist teachers, students, and…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the January 1997 administration of the English 33 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…

A study elaborated on the results of previous research on the effectiveness of the R-WISE (Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment) software by examining the effects of the student factor of learner-control and the environmental factor of the teacher's preferred instructional style on student writing performance. R-WISE includes 3 specific…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the June 1998 administration of the English 30 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…