A 1991 survey questioned 61 teachers on the ways they were using collaborative learning to teach composition. Comparisons with a 1988 survey showed that the biggest increase was in the use of collaborative drafting strategies. Increases also occurred in focusing, prewriting, and editing, and there were slight decreases in revision and…

Investigates K-7 teachers' attitudes, beliefs, and instructional decisions about process writing. Finds that most teachers (1) understand that writing is primarily a communication act; (2) received instruction in process writing and use strategies associated with process writing for instruction; and (3) are progressing toward a level of…

Investigates to what extent children were given opportunities to engage in process writing. Finds a textbook orientation to language instruction, small amounts of time spent in prewriting or writing activities, and a preference for teacher-controlled writing processes. (SR)

Describes three basic variations on the process approach to teaching writing witnessed while observing over 300 secondary English teachers: the "classic" process approach, the "antigrammarian" approach, and the "five paragraph" approach. Argues that the idea of error must be allowed back into the classroom, and that lockstep allegiance to a set of…

Investigates what students internalize from the dialogues elaborated in process writing classrooms. Focuses on four culturally diverse students in a fifth-sixth-grade class in New York City. Suggests that material students internalize is related to the quality of interactions with their teacher. (HB)

Studies the immediate effects of the Summer Institute of the National Writing Project upon the classroom practices of English teachers. Utilizes multiple sources of data for evaluation. Considers how teachers implemented the concept of writing process in their classrooms. Concludes with implications and questions for further study. (HB)

This edition of "NAEPfacts" discusses the frequency with which process-oriented activities are taught in United States schools, and the writing performance of students whose teachers emphasize these activities. Data were drawn from the 1992 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Writing, which was administered to a…

This report describes a program designed to improve students' expressive writing in a midwestern elementary school classroom. The targeted third and fourth grade students demonstrated inconsistencies in the quality of their writing which interfered with their success in the classroom. Evidence for the existence of the problem included district…

An action research project designed and evaluated the effectiveness of an instructional strategy to improve the writing of all secondary students (particularly African-American males) in the Webster Groves, Missouri school district. The first year was devoted to an intensive study of African American culture and literature. A list of six…