REFROMING WRITING AMONG STUDENTS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

ABSTRACT

The Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) movement, which swept through all levels of American education during the 1960s and 1970s, seemed a logical remedy for student writing deficiencies. However, the impact of WAC has not lived up to its promise. The WAC movement, as currently implemented in many community colleges, may be ineffective at best. To significantly improve student writing, systemic reform in pedagogical practice in English composition courses and throughout the disciplines is imperative. With no reform, we may unintentionally rob writing of its ability to be a tool for learning, thus negating the movement's primary goal. This article provides an historical perspective of writing across the curriculum, alongside a suggested reform model that includes essential components.     

写作智慧与智慧写作——现代应用文写作策略初探

现代应用文写作策略是写作主体自觉、积极的智力活动，是特定写作语境下为实现写作目的预先设计的写作方法、手段和措施，是写作行为的策划和写作活动的部署及构想，包括文本写作策略和文本包装传播策略，核心是写作应对思路和行为控制。现代应用文写作策略可以决定写作行为的成败，因此，认识现代应用文写作策略有益于应用写作实践，提高现代应用写作社会效益。同时还可以提升写作主体智慧的地位和价值，有利于主体创造才能的发挥和培养。     

WRITING NEATNESS, COMPOSITION ERRORS, AND ESSAY GRADES

Twelve forms of an essay exam, identical in content but differing in writing neatness and types of composition errors, were graded by 420 prospective teachers. The results indicate that: ( a ) an essay response containing either 18 spelling errors or 18 grammar errors will be assigned significantly lower grades than the same response containing no gross composition errors; and ( b ) a good handwritten essay response will be assigned significantly higher grades than a fair handwritten response. Of particular interest was this latter result and the lack of significance between the mean grades assigned to the poor handwritten and typewritten forms and the mean grades assigned to the other writing forms. Furthermore, there was not a significant interaction effect between composition errors and writing neatness.     

大学英语写作教学中的三A式教学模式研究

从写作基本过程出发,提出了三A式教学模式。本项研究运用成果评估方法,列出了成果评估。结果表明,三A式教学模式增强了学生对英语写作的兴趣,提高了他们的作文能力。     

ASSESSMENT OF ENTERING STUDENT WRITING SKILL IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

This article describes an assessment of writing skills (writing sample, objective test, and self‐assessment) made by one community college. Information was gathered to design an entry‐level assessment procedure for placement in English composition and developmental writing courses. Comparing the three approaches, each of which measured different aspects of writing ability, showed that the best predictor of grade in an English composition course was the objective test. However, the statistical results of the study form only one component of an entry‐level assessment program. It may be that a writing sample is needed as part of entry‐level assessment because it points out the value of writing skill in attempting college‐credit courses.     

Public understanding of science as basic literacy

Against the background of an increasing drop‐out rate of students with ethnic minority and working‐class backgrounds, the aim of this paper is to discuss the ways in which writing practices in Swedish teacher education produce power and include/exclude subjectivities. A conventional academic writing practice will be compared to a hybrid writing practice that has been experimented with for several years at the Stockholm Institute of Education. This hybrid writing practice is characterized by two intertwined features: a divergent complicity that combines diverse subjectivities and multiple theories in a multigenre text; and a convergent and reductive shift that makes academic writing accessible. As the paper will show, a hybrid writing practice can strengthen the inclusion of students with ethnic minority and working‐class backgrounds and, in turn, help them finish their programs. It is, however, not bereft of all exclusionary tendencies.     

谈议论文写作中的逆反思维方式

议论文写作要出新意,经常使用逆反思维,它属于一种创新的思雏方式。逆反思维的表现形式有两种,一是否定已成为事实而又证明是错误的结论;一是在认识事物中,从反面去认识它,从而拓宽思维空间,狭路宽走,于阔处行文。议论文不光要有说理性,还要有很强的可读性,运用逆反思维写作议论文。可使文章起伏曲折,引人入胜。逆反思维在议论文写作的定题、点题、标题中均有所运用。     

发散、收敛思维与文章创新

发散思维与收敛思维是创造性思维中主要的两种形式。这对思维形式是一对矛盾统一体。运用其思维方法 ,能使文章创新找到一条行之有效的途径。写作主体要注意培养自身的发散、收敛思维能力 ,促进文章创新能力的提高。     

MEASURING THE ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS OF WRITING ABILITY

The present study assessed the relationship among holistic writing ability, the Test of Standard Written English (TSWE), and the following tests of organizational ability: anagram solving, word reordering, sentence reordering, and paragraph assembly. Based upon a sample of 105 undergraduate students, the main findings were that writing ability, as measured by the holistic method of scoring, was significantly correlated with performance on the TSWE and the four tests of organizational ability. A composite score on all four organizational tests was found to have the highest zero-order correlation with the measure of writing ability. A stepwise regression analysis, with the measure of writing ability as the criterion, also indicated that the composite score explained a significant proportion of the variance beyond that explained by the TSWE. The results are discussed in terms of the Kintsch and van Dijk model of strategic discourse processing, which suggests that different organizational strategies operate at the levels of words, sentences, and paragraphs. It is concluded that tests assessing organizational strategies ought to be included in assessments of writing ability.     

SERVING STUDENT NEEDS THROUGH WRITING CENTERS

Many community colleges have writing centers to help students develop their writing skills because the ability to communicate ideas clearly and accurately is essential for college success. Writing centers are staffed by faculty members, paraprofessionals, and peer tutors who assist students with planning, drafting, and revising essays and research projects. Many centers also offer computer programs and word processing as writing tools. These findings resulted from a study of 13 writing centers in community colleges belonging to the League for Innovation in the Community College. We used a questionnaire to collect data on the design and operation of each center. Although many similarities exist, each campus has modified such features as staffing, hours, and services to meet the needs of its student body. Usage rates indicate that students need and seek out services that can help them achieve academic success.     

The use of exemplars in English writing classrooms: from theory to practice

Recent literature on the use of exemplars in the context of higher education has shown that exemplar-based instruction is implemented in various disciplines; nevertheless, how exemplar-based instruction can be implemented in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing classrooms in higher education institutions remains under-explored. In this connection, this article reports on a textbook development project which adopts an exemplar-based instruction approach to be used by university English instructors to prepare students for IELTS writing (academic module). The goal of the textbook is to cultivate students’ understanding of the assessment standards of the two IELTS writing tasks through the design and use of exemplar-based dialogic and reflective activities. In this article, theoretical underpinnings of the use of exemplars, namely tacit knowledge, assessment as learning and dialogic feedback, will first be discussed in detail. Then, an overview of an ongoing project which aims to develop an exemplar-based IELTS writing textbook will be given. The last section of this article suggests practical strategies for ESL writing teachers who are interested in using exemplars to develop students’ understanding of assessment standards.     

‘It’s not a hobby’: reconceptualizing the place of writing in academic work

The writing activities involved in research are not fully articulated in discussions of academic work. In this context, academics say they have to disengage from other tasks in order to write, which raises fundamental questions about the place of writing in academic work. A study designed to find out more about this disengagement showed that it involved acts of engagement with writing. Reconceptualizing disengagement from other tasks as engagement with writing repositions writing as part of academic work. This is critical for new and emerging researchers: it provides concepts to underpin practices that will enable them regularly to write. This article provides a model for physical, social and cognitive engagement with writing and explores how it can be put into practice. Implications for academics and those responsible for developing research capacity are discussed.     

COGNITIVE COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPMENTAL WRITING SKILL

A significant number of studies have examined the cognitive components of basic academic skills, which has led to major changes in both teaching and early identification assessment practices. However, the majority of previous research has focused solely on reading. This study examines the cognitive components of academic writing skills across early grade levels (1–4) while controlling for basic word identification skills. Results from this study suggest writing skill requires several cognitive skills of differing emphasis depending on the level of writing skill. Perceptual and rapid perceptual processing skills are important during the early acquisition of writing skills followed by a transition to language and language retrieval skills and later still to working memory skills. Applications for education and cognitive assessment are discussed.     

关于写作理论中“主题”概念的思考

近些年的写作理论研究虽然更趋于科学化，然而，在某些细节问题的研究中还存在着不足，如：“主题”概念是否能够概括所有文体形式表达的具体情况？是否有必要用“主旨”来取代“主题”成为文章写作的要素之一呢？这篇文章就这两方面的问题谈一些看法，与大家商榷。     

Baseline assessment of writing: the need for reconsideration

This article questions the usefulness to teaching of items to be used in baseline assessment of writing in the UK. Current requirements for national baseline assessment are intended to serve two very different purposes: assessment for management and assessment for teaching. It is argued that this duality of purpose can threaten teaching and overemphasise assessment for management. This article describes a small study investigating items on the baseline assessment scale developed by the Schools Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA, 1997a), which suggests that the SCAA criteria for baseline assessment of writing need to be reconsidered. This reconsideration can be sought in the light of research and evidence of children’s achievements. Finally the paper concludes that there needs to be greater clarity of purpose and a redefinition of the misleading term ‘baseline assessment’.     

Processes of Writing as Mediational Tool in Higher Education

This article addresses writing in higher education with the primary aim of conceptualizing writing as a mediational tool. The conceptual framework consists of three concepts: learning trajectories, mediation, and recontextualization. The article describes how writing can work as a mediational tool and suggests possible implications for higher education. An empirical study from the context of initial teacher education in Norway is used for the purpose of illustration. Writing activities can mediate learning in important ways. However, design elements that make students explore, contrast, and compare different meaning potentials and position themselves within disciplinary or professional discourse are crucial when considering the potential of writing as a mediational tool in higher education.     

Evaluating the reliability of a detailed analytic scoring rubric for foreign language writing

The demand for valid and reliable methods of assessing second and foreign language writing has grown in significance in recent years. One such method is the timed writing test which has a central place in many testing contexts internationally. The reliability of this test method is heavily influenced by the scoring procedures, including the rating scale to be used and the success with which raters can apply the scale. Reliability is crucial because important decisions and inferences about test takers are often made on the basis of test scores. Determining the reliability of the scoring procedure frequently involves examining the consistency with which raters assign scores. This article presents an analysis of the rating of two sets of timed tests written by intermediate level learners of German as a foreign language (n = 47) by two independent raters who used a newly developed detailed scoring rubric containing several categories. The article discusses how the rubric was developed to reflect a particular construct of writing proficiency. Implications for the reliability of the scoring procedure are explored, and considerations for more extensive cross-language research are discussed.     

欲望化写作负面观

欲望化写作根因于社会转型期人的感性生命活跃的实际,张扬感官放纵和感官享受.其中存在的问题与作家主体的赢弱苍白,与生命本体论文艺观的负面影响关系甚大.     

MEASUREMENT OF CHANGE IN THE MEANING OF WRITING IN FRESHMAN ENGLISH

This study had a two‐fold purpose: first, to determine whether a measurable change in the meaning of the word writing could occur during a writing course; and second, to measure meaning rather than merely student attitudes toward writing. To satisfy these purposes, a semantic differential was administered to students in both regular and developmental classes in a two‐year campus at the beginning and the end of the 10‐week term. The scale measured the meaning of the term writing according to three dimensions: evaluation, activity, and potency. Scores were compared for each student and for each class of students. A significant increase occurred in the activity dimension for students in the regular classes by the end of the term; however, their evaluative rating decreased. Developmental students showed no change. Correlations with other measures of student performance were performed: final grades in the writing course, high school G.P.A., and verbal SAT scores. Regular students’ final grades correlated positively with the evaluation dimension of writing, and their verbal SAT scores correlated positively with the activity and potency dimensions. An inverse correlation was obtained between the developmental students’ verbal SAT scores and their evaluative rating. All correlations were stronger by the end of the term. Implications for writing teachers are discussed. Use of this instrument for measuring change in students’ perceptions of writing is recommended.