A writing assistance program at North Carolina State University is designed to help students gain the communication skills they need as professional engineers. The program involves teaching, tutoring, advisory services, and workshops on special topics of wide interest. Each of these program areas is discussed. (JN)

Research shows that many students entering teacher education programs are deficient in writing skills. This article focuses on how to develop, administer, and score a writing sample. (Author/CB)

Describes a busy executive's writing process when writing a report for a board and points out its similarities to writing demanded of students. (EL)

Discusses the conflict between academic discourse and students' right to their own language. Shows how the study of interlanguage looks at the learner's present language use and provides a conceptual framework for seeing student writing as a stage in a developmental process, for seeing individual differences, and for seeing common patterns. (EL)

Tells how to improve in-class essay exams by viewing them as a rough draft of a yet-to-be completed essay on which the teacher will make specific corrections, comments, and suggestions about how to improve it. Describes the grading of such exams and class discussion dealing with all aspects of the essay. (EL)

Reports on a study of the use of metaphor and analogy in scientific writing to determine whether the author's analogical style affected the media attention a brochure received and whether it improved the reader's understanding of the content. (FL)

Research was conducted addressing the following topics: productivity of agricultural education faculty members in generating new knowledge; research productivity of agricultural education faculty versus other vocational education service areas; factors encouraging research productivity; factors inhibiting productivity; and methods of increasing…

Surveyed members of the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business to determine how and why computers were being used in the business or management curriculum and the kinds of hardware and software in use. (PD)

Assessed the effects of students' use of "Writer's Workbench" (a collection of computer textual analysis programs) in the business communication class. Found that assignment grades improved by the third semester, which may reflect the extensive refinements the authors made to the programs after the first two semesters. (PD)

Shows how to use William Perry's developmental model, which addresses a student's ability to confront conflicting values and belief and use conflict as a tool of integration and growth, in a writing classroom that allows students to learn both enabling skills that help them communicate through writing and instrumental learning skills that spur…

Advocates the practice of peer editing in primary and secondary schools and offers three workable strategies for using students as editors: role playing, comments on the pages, and face-to-face critiques. (DF)

Describes various aspects of written Arabic that have been identified as contributors to observed error production and weaknesses in writing skills of Arabic-speaking learners of English. (EKN)

The prewriting strategies of guided imagery, brainstorming, clustering, freewriting, and oral activities, are described. It is suggested that teachers utilize these strategies to help students become competent in each stage of the writing process. Ten writing resources are listed. (MBR)

Reviews recent research and illustrates findings with samples of writing collected in child care, preschool, and kindergarten classes. Implications for teachers of young children are discussed. (RH)

Writing expert Donald Graves discusses various issues related to writing and computers, suggesting that word processors can help bring out the natural writers in students. Six tips for conducting successful writing conferences are listed and discussed with sample student and teacher commentary. Software to improve writing skills is also discussed.…