Describes a study conducted at a large west coast state university, comparing holistic scores on developmental writing program final essays when the same essays were handwritten and computer typed. Reveals a bias against typed final essays, especially in essays which received high scores in the handwritten form. (DMM)

Suggests that the cultural diversity of the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom can enhance instruction. Proposes application of Paulo Freire's problem-posing approach to teaching basic college writing in the multiethnic setting. Identifies teaching principles that have proven useful in urban testing. Discusses the integration of problem…

Presents research that validates and refines a computerized system for grading placement exams. Compares computerized ratings to holistic scores, grades earned in courses, and other measures. Calls for additional research on larger populations and greater numbers of textual traits. (HB)

Describes an experimental six-week summer intensive course in basic writing in which the instructor assumes the identity of "Ms. Mystery" and exchanges weekly letters with each of the students. Provides excerpts as well as analysis of these letters and argues the efficacy of letter writing as a pedagogic tool. (KEH)

Uses a case study to illustrate the multitude of cultural and idiosyncratic factors which may influence the feelings and behaviors of basic writers at risk of failure. Suggests that rather than continually defining the basic writer, educators should begin to redefine and reexamine their roles and attitudes as teachers of basic writers. (MG)

Describes a method of teaching basic writing to native and nonnative students that emphasizes a regression to the most basic elements of writing. Considers what writing content, rhetorical techniques, grammar exercises, and proofreading methods are most effective for the two groups. (TB)

Describes two different experiments at De Anza College which illustrate coordinated teaching, a concept in which a group of faculty volunteer to work together for better instruction within the context of an existing program, maintaining their usual approaches to teaching a course, but allowing for collegial effort, some common work, and…

Although basic writing has become a strong independent field with professionally sanctioned ways of making knowledge, what Stephen North refers to as "lore" still maintains a strong foundation in the field. This lore is often grounded in the belief in a linear paradigm of learning, and is to some degree fostered by traditional conceptions of basic…

Selected subtests from the Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) were administered to three groups of university students. The groups included students with learning disabilities who received course substitutions for the institution's foreign language requirement, students with learning disabilities who…

Community college developmental English students passed Composition I at a higher rate than did non-developmental students, confirming the effectiveness of developmental English courses. However, the lack of a significant relationship between placement test scores and students' grades in all writing-intensive courses raised concerns about…

A recent call by its editors to rename the "Journal of Basic Writing" has ramifications toward professionalization of and a wider respect for the discipline of basic writing. Basic writing has been defined differently from composition studies which, in turn, has been distinguished from English studies. This defining process has moved…

The technical writing teacher discovers two things about his/her students: they do not like to write and they do not like to read. They are not in the class because they are motivated, but because they must be there as part of a technical or vocational degree. One of the most common complaints about the class is, "I don't need to know how to…

Arranged chronologically, the essays in this book trace the attempts of one writing teacher (Patricia Bizzell) to understand theoretically--and to respond pedagogically--to what happens when students from diverse backgrounds learn to use language in college. Over the 10-year period chronicled in the essays that make up the book, the teacher sees…

In order to become empowered and autonomous writers, students need to learn self-evaluation techniques to help them revise their writing instead of simply editing it. Basic writers and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writers especially need concrete aids that can guide them, at least in the initial stages of learning, to write in a mode in…

The developmental writing program at Michigan State University offers special attention to students who enter the university at a competitive disadvantage with respect to their ability to express themselves in writing. The primary goal of the program is to seek to empower students so that they will be able to express themselves in writing for the…