Investigates effects of explicit instruction in how to take notes during a lecture. Finds preliminary support for providing explicit instruction with self-questioning to low performing first-year college student. Finds that the quality of notes and immediate comprehension of lecture information improved. (RS)

Considers business communication's current and potential borrowing from composition studies. Identifies the current state of composition's impact on research in business writing by analyzing citations and arguments in scholarly articles. Shows how composition studies might influence future research in business communication. (HB)

Describes a series of three "Newspaper in Education" projects which provided practical experience for a group of initial teacher trainees from years two, three, and four of a primary course. Suggests that the projects promoted children's literacy development and provided a welcome opportunity for teacher trainees to gain a deeper…

Compares undergraduates' handwritten reports with those written on computers for 10 precisely defined quality factors. Finds more similarities than differences, with 6 of the 10 tests showing no significant differences. Notes that this study does not support a general conclusion that basic writing quality will improve in computer written…

Reviews the research related to composing and describes the composing process used by young children as they develop into mature writers. (MG)

Describes how an English class is organized to collaborate in preparing a weekly news column about their high school's activities for the local newspaper. (MG)

States that the focus of homework should be a positive social interaction with parents with gradually increasing independent responsibilities. Provides examples of activities for writing, spelling, and speaking homework that provide opportunities for real literary activities in the home. (MG)

A survey of 114 business graduates determined the perceived importance of writing competencies needed by business employees in relation to their employer category, their major area, and the size of their organization. Most important were mastery of fundamentals, coherence, decisiveness, and conciseness. (JOW)

Describes a pilot project conducted at Queensborough Community College which involved teaching summarization skills to students in a required, no-credit reading course. Concludes that summarizing is a viable strategy for improving reading comprehension and recall, while acknowledging the difficulties encountered by both the students and their…

Describes the role of writing fiction as a mode of inquiry into work experience. Contends that the writing of stories is a way of learning about one's experiences. Proposes a cross-professional group to explore putting into practice such modes of inquiry. (DB)

Recommends 14 recently published books on writing. Groups the books in 6 categories: assessment, classroom publishing, foundations, insights from writers, classroom descriptions, and general information. (MG)

This study of the story composition abilities of 46 students (aged 11-14) with learning disabilities found that subjects had a rudimentary knowledge of story form, but this knowledge was less developed than that of their nondisabled peers. Subjects also had greater coherence problems in their writing and were less fluent writers. (Author/JDD)

Investigates the effects of the Communication Skills Program on the academic performance of 400 college freshman students. Notes that the program is designed to improve students' skills in reading, writing, and speaking. Finds that student participation in the communication skills program has a significant positive effect on their academic…

Discusses ways business communication instructors can pave the way for students' success in indirect writing assignments by following three preliminary steps: discuss word choice; discuss typical negative situations; and review the special requirements of indirect writing. (RS)

This article explores the implications for the "Nacherzahlung" (free adaptation) of two distinctions from narrative theory. It suggests an explanation of students' difficulty writing about literary texts in second-year German courses and describes an approach to enhancing writing skills based on the interpretive summary. (Author)