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…

Describes how a teacher-as-researcher project led the author to create more opportunities for remedial high school students to "talk out" their writing as a prewriting exercise. (MM)

A case study used a social constructivist theoretical framework to study two students who participated in a writing process classroom in New York City. The teacher used literature to connect reading and writing in her lessons and conducted individual writing conferences with students. Students kept notebooks of their personal experiences and…

This study investigated how writing coaching, which is based on the writing process concept, can be applied to the teaching of magazine writing. In the first part of the study, a purposeful sample of 10 members of the Magazine Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication responded to a questionnaire. The sample…

This booklet presents a qualitative evaluation of the Simi Star Project, which sought to demonstrate the use of a Writing to Read adaptation that supports a literature-based, whole language, writing process environment within kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. After a description of the questions that the evaluation asked, the booklet…

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.…

Focuses on performance, processes, and attitudes of 19 kindergarten students who participated in a semester of process writing and instructional activities, asking whether kindergartners can effectively engage in a writing workshop on a sustained basis. Indicates process writing instruction allowed students to show appreciable, measurable gains in…

Suggests that peer group instruction is one of the most significant benefits to have emerged from the process approach to writing instruction. Presents a teacher's classroom research on the peer group response method. (ARH)

A study examined the feedback associated with "author's chair" to determine the opportunities provided for students to learn about literacy. Subjects, six boys and three girls between the ages of 8 and 10 in a self-contained classroom for students identified as learning disabled, were exposed to a process-oriented approach to writing instruction…