Outlines research necessary for determining the validity and reliability of Test of Written English, an essay test that directly measures writing ability and complements Test of English-as-a-Foreign-Language's (TOEFL) indirect assessment of writing skills. Research should cover such aspects as construct, criterion-related, concurrent, content, and…

Discusses how research in error analysis and discourse analysis can help teachers understand basic writers. Argues that the role of teachers is to recognize basic writers' attempts to construct meaningful prose by focusing on both the meaning of the text and the meaning of students' writing errors. (MM)

In a study of peer response activities in second-language writing, two questions were investigated: whether students give good advice to their peers and what differences exist between student and teacher comments. Examination of 30 papers from 3 writing classes suggests that teacher and peer responses serve important and complementary functions.…

Investigated levels of grammatical knowledge among 99 trainee primary school teachers in England and Wales. The study focused on clause and sentence structure to investigate the students' ability to apply their knowledge to analysis of children's writing and to explore the implications of proposed revisions to English in the national curriculum.…

Theories of writing development put forth by C. Bereiter (1980), B. Kroll (1981), and K. Perera (1984) are reviewed and presented as frameworks for practitioners working with students having language learning disabilities (LLD). The theories are considered with regard to the assessment of written language, and written language intervention…

Effects of using different combinations of internal and external matching variables were examined using a generalized Mantel-Haenszel statistic, a technique based on meta-analysis, and logistic discriminant function analysis with data from a writing assessment for over 4,200 8th graders. Results did not support use of an external matching…

Describes the evaluation practices and concerns of secondary home economics teachers who participated in a series of university writing workshops on incorporating the writing process into their subject areas. Notes that some of the teachers implemented some of the evaluation methods presented in the workshops but that they continued to struggle…

Examines second-language classroom applications of computerized text analysis by English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writers, suggesting that the Grammatik III disk-based text analyzer may not be a suitable addition to ESL composition pedagogy. (16 references) (Author/CB)

Examines contexts for writing and response in a graduate education seminar including native and nonnative English speakers. Considers how the instructor communicated expectations for writing assignments, how students performed, and how students' writing was evaluated. Argues that student writing occurs in a multidimensional context where…

Provides a review of some of the main issues covered in research on writing, and indicates where this research may be found. Discusses the nature of writing, learning to write, computers and writing, and evaluating written products. (PRA)

Academic writing in the fields of counseling psychology, biology, and history was examined from a linguistic perspective. Differences were found in cohesive density and in comparisons of the use of lexical ties and also in the numbers of marked and unmarked clauses and the types of marking used. (35 references) (Author/LB)

A study of miscorrection in group writing activities among 18 third-year English majors in a Thailand university is consistent with studies of miscorrection in spoken activities. The relatively small amount of miscorrection found suggests that peer feedback can play a role in the development of writing ability. (22 references) (LB)

Describes a method for integrating writing into history classes. Suggests keeping writing assignments short and simple, rather than assigning a long paper that will be a burden to the instructor during grading. Discusses journal writing, pretest writing exercises, and microthemes written on a single index card. (DK)

Extends earlier studies that surveyed educators about their use of and reaction to classroom literacy portfolios. Finds that a growing number of professionals are actually using portfolios. Finds also that educators agree that portfolios should be used for assessment purposes in the language arts and to help place individual students in special…

Considers how writing teachers, when faced with student writing that betrays sexist, racist, or homophobic sentiments, should respond. Addresses the difficulty of asserting moral imperatives in the light of current antifoundationalist theory. Argues for a reliance on a "necessary directionality" toward comprehensive moral truths. (HB)