Compares the discourse knowledge and self-regulation of good and poor writers, as well as the quality and length of their final texts; 48 junior-college students wrote a comparative text. Results showed that poor writers were no more linear than good writers, and no less actively self-regulated their writing. Good writers produced larger texts of…

Presents the concept of directiveness (regarding the behavior of a consultant/tutor in a writing conference) as a continuum that can be defined in terms of particular characteristics. Examines students' and tutors' attitudes regarding the directiveness of tutors. Finds perceptions between consultants and students differed considerably on a number…

We obtained data on the writing of 110 deaf or hard-of-hearing students attending public schools who completed the spontaneous writing portion of the Test of Written Language. The average written quotient for the sample was in the below-average range but within 1 standard deviation of the test mean. Forty-nine percent of the sample received…

This study investigated the level of generalizability across a few high quality assessment tasks and the validity of measuring student writing ability using a limited number of essay tasks. More specifically, the research team explored how well writing prompts could measure student general writing ability and if student performance from one…

This case study of three teacher education programs in California colleges aimed to answer two questions through informal interviews of methods course instructors and analysis of the associated course syllabi: First, what assumptions or theories of professional development appear to inform the various methods courses for preservice secondary…

A course of study to enhance the effectiveness of the traditional third grade reader and workpack as instructional tools was designed for this practicum. The goal was to create a familiarity with the purpose and function of varied print media available within the community, thereby creating a foundation upon which the students (30 third graders)…

This document describes a study undertaken by Florida community colleges to analyze student reading rates, which currently vary by ethnicity. To assess this concept, median scores for students who failed the College Placement Test (CPT) were compared between different ethic backgrounds across all Florida community colleges. All areas of the CPT…

Surveys 2735 American and Canadian colleges/universities about whether they had a writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) program, asking for a list of WAC courses, what respondents thought about the influence of such courses on student learning and writing abilities, and about linking WAC and journalism/mass communication courses. Finds strong…

Three Spanish/English bilingual kindergarten children were interviewed to discover their views on learning to write. Texts of interviews are presented. (PCB)

The representational abilities of 24 preschool children were investigated in relation to their ability to use their knowledge of graphic notation. Although the children came from similar backgrounds, their responses showed varying constructs about the appropriate graphic notation to use in referential tasks. (SLD)

Examined differences in written expression between learning-disabled and nondisabled middle school students matched by grade and sex, using eight curriculum-based measures. All of learning-disabled students had been identified as having written language deficits. Nondisabled students showed superior written expression skills, especially on…

Presents findings of a study comparing compositions by beginning writing and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at a two-year college. Reports similarities in the groups' topic choices, topic sentence use, and expository development. Reveals that ESL students tended to write shorter papers containing more sentence level errors. Discusses…

Reviews literature comparing traditional manuscript alphabets to slanted manuscript alphabets and finds insufficient evidence to support requiring kindergarten, first-, and second-grade children to learn the slanted manuscript alphabet. Notes that since many children enter school knowing how to form their letters in the traditional style, learning…

Two studies examined developmental changes in handwriting variability. Results indicated that, between 3 and 5 years, the number of grip patterns that children routinely use declines and the variability associated with pen-surface positioning declines. Older 3-year-olds used an adult grip pattern more often and were less variable in pen-surface…

This article considers differences between good and poor spellers and concludes individual differences in spelling ability are the result of differences in the knowledge of sound-spelling information rather than differences in visual memory abilities. Poor spellers may rely more on visual strategies, but this is due to limited phonological…