Reviews two recent studies of the effects of using word processing as part of the instructional process in writing. Concludes that neither study gives unqualified support for the use of word processors in the teaching of writing. Notes that this column will continue to review these kinds of studies. (RS)

Explores different modes of responding to student papers in two sections of an Introduction to Writing Process class for native and non-native speakers. Finds no significant differences in performance of the two sections, although students who received only positive comments frequently initiated their own corrections and seemed to gain greater…

This paper reviews research about writing that may inform teachers' observations of their students and their decisions about how best to support students' efforts. First, since ways of using written language vary with different social situations, the paper reviews research on how literacy functions in varied communities, including both the…

To link writing assessment more closely to writing pedagogy, a project added a process instrument--a self-evaluation or "postwrite"--to a formal holistic writing assessment. Subjects were 348 freshman composition students at Goucher College. The postwrite asked students, after they had finished writing an essay, to answer four questions…

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)

Evaluative criteria implicit in written comments on student writing can embody a definition of text which leads students to see text as superficial and formal instead of deep and meaningful. Students develop their perceptions of professors' values from the cues they receive via comments. A major problem, especially among faculty from different…

Educators who teach students to write often teach students to create using the writing process. Students are encouraged to brainstorm topics, write a first draft, revise based on the response from a teacher or fellow student, proofread, and generate a final draft. Teachers maintain that students are often motivated by the use of technology to…

A study examined the effect of a structured writing process on student comprehension during a year-long classroom writing workshop. Subjects included 10 sixth-grade students of average reading and writing comprehension who completed an initial writing survey as well as quarterly writing behavior self assessments and writing evaluation conference…

Contrasts a recent collection of "best" student essays with a report reviewing a 1929 test in English that was used for making college admissions decisions. Concludes that writing teachers have been as much or more interested in who they want their students to be as in what they want their students to write. (RS)

A study (part of the New Zealand Writing Project) investigated how teachers respond effectively to their students' writing. Several related issues were investigated, including whether "good" teachers of writing at various levels differ in approach and techniques used, and which practices bring about improvement at different ages.…

These four issues of The Quarterly of the National Writing Project cover the calendar year 1989. The January 1989 issue contains the following articles: (1) "The Unteachables" (J. Juska); (2) "Changing the Model" (M. Griffith and others); (3) "Literate Cultures: Multi-Voiced Classrooms" (M. Roemer); (4) "Despite…

Intended for composition teachers and researchers, as well as those involved with educational issues apart from the writing community (legislators, administrators, researchers in other fields, parents), this book contains essays that take a critical step beyond the standard arguments of the profession, pushing hard for example, at some of the…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for increasing students' abilities to self-assess writing. The targeted population consisted of a class of second-grade students in an upwardly mobile community located in the suburban Chicago area of Arlington Heights, Illinois. The inability to self-assess writing was documented through teacher…

Discusses issues of fairness in the evaluation of bilingual writers. Warns of problems posed for them by the process approach to writing instruction. Describes a case study which suggests that even assessment procedures claimed to be holistic are biased against bilingual students. Compares one student's Spanish and English writing samples, noting…

A study examined methods for helping students earn their Literacy Passport, mandated for all students by the Virginia Department of Education, prior to entering the ninth grade, beginning in grade 6. Teachers were trained at North Accomack Elementary School (Virginia) in the use and implementation of the writing process and in writing to a prompt.…