To link the perspectives of Walter Ong on the history of literacy to the psychological context of college writers, this paper contrasts the mind-sets that are important to writers: the oral community of the ancient epic and the modern psychological perspective, with its emphasis on the one against the many. In the first section of the paper, Ong's…

Intended for the secondary school or college teacher beginning a course in technical writing, this bibliographic guide lists selected sources that provide an introduction to the field. The guide is divided into the following five sections: (1) "Bibliographic Sources," which directs the reader to other useful bibliographies; (2) "Theory and…

A successful program of computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in composition will require collaboration between writing teachers and computer experts. Although programs can be carefully evaluated prior to their purchase, the effectiveness of a composition CAI program can be judged only after conducting empirical research with specific student…

To gain insights into what makes student/teacher conversations about writing more and less successful, a sample of freshman composition teachers was asked to tape record all of their writing conferences. In addition, student writing samples were collected. In all, the tape recordings of 48 writing conferences were transcribed and prepared for…

Proposing that the utility of formal grammar instruction has never been put to the test, this booklet first explains the heretofore negative research results and explains why all the good intentions behind them have not kept those results from being essentially useless. The remainder of the booklet describes an experiment in which there were no…

This bibliography is divided into three sections. Section I, Review of General Educational Development (GED) Publisher Composition Texts, reviews extensively the texts published by Cambridge, Contemporary, Scott Foresman, and Steck-Vaughn to enable the instructor to choose a primary text. The reviews tell the exact instructional sequence of the…

Composition researchers are poised to offer new answers to the three questions which are at the heart of ideological definition: what exists; what is good; and what is possible? Researchers must consider the impact of computer-assisted composition programs (often called "style checkers") as well as the basic word processor. Style…

This digest describes the development of cultural journalism and its place in the contemporary curriculum. In the field of cultural journalism, the traditional skills and values of many different groups are chronicled, defined, for example, by ethnic origin, origin, occupation, or environment. The term "cultural journalism" was first…

To develop a more realistic and informative evaluation model, a longitudinal study was conducted during 1988-1989 to assess the effects of the developmental education courses in mathematics, reading/study skills, and writing at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott, Arizona. Five quantitative and three qualitative measures were…

This booklet presents three practical procedures for conferencing to help upper elementary and high school teachers evaluate students' language development while teaching students how to regulate and participate more fully in the process of writing. The booklet includes the following chapters: (1) "The Interaction of Thought and…

The document presents the theoretical background and empirical research supporting lessons which teach study skills to adolescents, especially those with learning disabilities. A section presenting the psychological rationale for training study skills considers the nature of studying and its psychological demands, studying as an active process,…

The processes children use when learning to read and write seem mutually supportive, so the incorporation of writing prior to and in conjunction with reading seems advisable. Writing activities in the basal readers can be used instead of or along with parts of the core lesson, not just in the enrichment section. And by listening to a variety of…

Teachers of a basic writing course broadened their theme approach from growth and change in adolescence to the theme of language and identity, developed sequenced writing assignments, and worked toward the culminating unit--a mini-research project through which all the language and thinking skills developed throughout the semester could be…

To assess the value of professional writing internships, a pilot study at Michigan State University will administer pre- and post-tests to students involved in internships, as well as to control groups composed of professional writing majors who do not participate in internships, and other English majors following a traditional curriculum of…

This handbook is intended to provide teachers with background information about the writing skills needed by General Educational Development (GED) students as well as practical instructional activities for use in the adult basic education/GED classroom. A guide to using the ideabook explains the POWER format that involves Prewriting, Organizing,…