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  • 1. Shidaker, Chelsey THE EFFECTS OF GO 4 IT…NOW! STRATEGY INSTRUCTION ON STUDENTS' PARAGRAPH WRITING IN AN INCLUSIVE SECONDARY LANGUAGE ARTS CLASSROOM

    Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Educational Studies

    Writing is a crucial skill that people need to successfully communicate thoughts and information. Writing proficiently is essential to function in many activities of every day life, including school, the workplace, relationships, and the community at large. In school, students are regularly asked to demonstrate their academic knowledge through written communication. The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of a strategy instruction approach, GO 4 IT…NOW!, in an inclusive secondary Language Arts classroom. Specifically, this was a descriptive study using multiple probes across participants to assess the quality of participants' writings after implementing GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy instruction. All students demonstrated strong improvement in paragraph writing skills after the implementation of the GO 4 IT…NOW! strategy. Limitations, future directions, and implications for practice are provided in the discussion.
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    Committee: Ralph Gardner III / Ph.D (Advisor); Moira Konrad Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Secondary Education; Special Education; Teaching

  • 2. Salisbury, Lauren The Impact of Course Management Systems Like Blackboard on First Year Composition Pedagogy and Practice

    Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Writing​, University of Findlay, 2015, English

    As online writing instruction (OWI) rises in prevalence at U.S. universities, the need for research into effective pedagogies increases. Using interview and observation data from first year composition instructors, this thesis argues instructors' experiences with course management systems (CMS) and therefore the way they teach in those spaces are shaped by the limitations and constraints they perceive as existing in those spaces. While instructors recognize the potential significance of CMS, there is still great disparity between instructors' practices in face to face and CMS spaces with many instructors failing to see their use of CMS as part of the teaching practice.
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    Committee: Ronald Tulley (Committee Chair); Elkie Burnside (Committee Member); Michael Scoles (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Higher Education; Information Technology; Instructional Design; Rhetoric

  • 3. Koneval, Addison Embracing Linguistic Justice in Writing Pedagogies: Collaboratively Developing Responsible Grammar Instruction across the Curriculum

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, English

    This project responds to disciplinary calls from within Composition Studies to take up socially just, linguistically just (Baker-Bell) pedagogies of “languaging” (Inoue). Specifically, it examines the potential for one integral, yet largely unaddressed pedagogical site for furthering such goals: grammar instruction. Through a two-stage, mixed methods study, I first analyze generalizable trends in contemporary grammar pedagogy and training practices through a national survey. I second evaluate receptivity to and potentials for developing and circulating anti-racist, liberatory grammar curriculum and training through a college-wide case study. Overall, my project seeks to examine the ways that Composition instructors and writing program administrators might understand, develop, and circulate grammar pedagogies in ways consistent with contemporary disciplinary ideologies on languaging. After articulating the exigency for the project in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 reports on a nationwide survey that was completed by over 130 Composition instructors across the U.S. on their grammar pedagogy training, attitudes, perspectives, goals, and practices. Out of findings that revealed the presence of both historically established pedagogies and an emergent, grassroots grammar pedagogy responsive to anti-racist perspectives, this chapter proffers an ideological framework for categorizing and understanding grammar pedagogies. This frames Stage Two of the project, which applies the framework as an administrative and analytical tool for localized curriculum development and training. Chapter 3 situates Stage Two's case study, which was a collaborative project between me and Linn-Benton Community College English faculty member Dionisia Morales. Chapter 4 discusses the results of our Feminist Writing Program Administration and critically pedagogies-based participatory action research, which supported Morales' project by surveying over 200 students, faculty, and staff, conducting 14 indi (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Beverly Moss (Advisor); Jonathan Buehl (Committee Member); Evonne Kay Halasek (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Curricula; Higher Education; Teaching

  • 4. Hahn, Sarah The Problem of Grammar: A Teacher's Journey

    Master of Arts in English, Youngstown State University, 2011, Department of Languages

    Over the years, many teachers have abandoned teaching grammar due to its inability to improve student writing. However, students are still being held responsible for the knowledge on state tests as well as in college. The problem of how to address the growing problem of grammar instruction in a more efficient and effective manner has been addressed by experts in the field, Constance Weaver, Jeff Anderson, and Harry Noden, who have been touting the benefits of in-context grammar instruction for years. In-context grammar instruction means to use student reading and writing to teach the conventions of grammar. This study investigates the effects of using this method of grammar instruction an inner-city charter school for 7th through 12th grade children with ADD, ADHD, and Asperger's Syndrome. This study used primarily qualitative data to show that students were more motivated to write and their attitude toward the act of writing was improved by this manner of instruction over the course of a year. In conclusion, while students showed minimal improvement in regards to mechanics, their content showed great improvement and students were more willing to attempt the process of writing, specifically drafting and revision. More research needs to be done with this method of grammar instruction, especially taught by teachers experienced with in-context grammar and over a longer period of time, to provide a more definitive answer about its effectiveness in teaching grammar.
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    Committee: Jeffrey Buchanan PhD (Advisor); Patricia Hauschildt PhD (Committee Member); Steven Brown PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Educational Theory; Language Arts; Secondary Education; Special Education

  • 5. Raab, Marianne DO FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION COURSES BENEFIT BUSINESS STUDENTS?

    Master of Arts (M.A.), University of Dayton, 2010, English

    The primary purpose of this thesis is to explore the effectiveness of first-year composition courses for business students. In order to assess whether first-year composition courses address the skills students need for success in academia and as business majors, two business faculty members at each of three universities in the South are interviewed, comparing their desired skills for college students with the skills actually taught at the same universities through interviews conducted with two First-Year English Composition Faculty at each school. This is a complex area of study for English and Business Faculty, and while many faculty interviewed agreed on the importance of some current FYC objectives, including coherent and clear writing, the study identifies other objectives that must be included and/or reprioritized in future composition syllabi for business students. This paper identifies grammar and Internet citation skills as requiring more emphasis among a plethora of perceptions about writing held by those interviewed.
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    Committee: Bryan Bardine PhD (Advisor); Betty Youngkin PhD (Committee Member); Andrew Slade PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Business Administration; Composition

  • 6. Li, Jie Process and PostProcess in China's Educational Context

    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2012, English (Rhetoric and Writing)

    This dissertation investigated China's college-level composition instruction for English majors through the lenses of Western rhetoric and American composition theories. Historically, the teaching of writing in China belongs to the field of applied linguistics, and its classroom assessment followed EFL testing theories. However, viewed from the perspective of rhetoric and composition, China's teaching methods fall into the category of current-traditional rhetoric, a product-oriented methodology. The limitations of the approach lie in an excessive emphasis on structure and accuracy but insufficient attention to rhetorical strategies. This teaching method conforms to the literate tradition of the Chinese language, its competitive society, and its test-driven educational system. However, effective communication skills are neglected. To solve these problems, I proposed Chinese writing instructors implement some effective mainstream writing pedagogies but adapt them to China's educational context. Chinese instructors could consider a “community-based socio-cognitive instruction approach” that stresses revision skills with reference to assessment criteria. With the process- and postprocess-based framework created by employing cognitive theories and Bruce McComiskey's postprocess theories, instructors could partially integrate Asao B. Inoue's community-based assessment pedagogy, tailoring it to a specific site. McComiskey's theory advocates three levels of composing-”“textual,” “rhetorical,” and “discursive”-”which ensure improvement of writers' linguistic, rhetorical, and social skills. Inoue's pedagogy involves students in creating assessment criteria, assessing, and assigning grades. This pedagogy empowers students, encourages collaborative learning, and connects assessment to teaching and learning, all of which gives students the opportunity to practice social and rhetorical skills. This study utilized two major research methods: 1) a textual analysis of scholarly pub (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Kristine L. Blair PhD (Advisor); Patricia K. Kubow PhD (Committee Member); Sue Carter Wood PhD (Committee Member); Lance Massey PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Rhetoric

  • 7. Thomas, Brennan Composition Studies and Teaching Anxiety: A Pilot Study of Teaching Groups and Discipline- and Program-Specific Triggers

    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, English/Rhetoric and Writing

    Although previous studies on teaching anxiety have clarified the general characteristics and manifestations of this phenomenon and established the need for more effective teacher preparation programs, most do not reflect the practices or concerns of writing instructors or indicate how or why they experience anxiety. The purpose of this dissertation, therefore, was to determine how the rhetorical and situational elements of writing instruction contribute to teaching anxiety and to what extent composition instructors attempt to resolve or minimize the effects of potential triggers and symptoms. Over a period of sixteen weeks, five first-year composition instructors completed a series of interviews and surveys related to their teaching and met periodically in small groups to discuss instructional matters and strategies for handling them. Data yielded from interview and group session transcripts and survey responses indicated that a) general teaching anxiety triggers (that is, triggers found in any discipline and at any level) are often compounded by discipline- and/or program-specific anxiety triggers, b) the potential anxiety triggers instructors reported or exhibited seem to interfere with their abilities to successfully impart student learning, and c) instructors' behavioral responses to such anxiety triggers are influenced by what they consider to be the likeliest and/or most addressable sources of their anxiety. These findings provide several starting points for a much needed in-depth look into the causes and manifestations of and possible remedies for teaching anxiety as well as the long-term effects of teacher preparation and faculty development programs on anxiety and job performance.
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    Committee: Sue Carter Wood (Advisor) Subjects:

  • 8. Hrubik, Jessica READING LIKE A WRITER: AN INVESTIGATION INTO EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS' INTENTIONAL WRITING DECISIONS

    PHD, Kent State University, 2023, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

    To develop as writers, students require regular practice writing and examples of quality texts that can serve as guides for their own writing. Reading like a writer (RLW) is a specific way of reading that can benefit student writers. The purpose of this basic interpretive qualitative study was to examine the writing decisions of 19 eighth grade students in Northeast, Ohio over the course of approximately four months. The study focused on students' intentional decisions in their writing resulting from RLW across two units of study. Multiple sources of data were collected, including two finished annotated pieces of writing and two written reflections per student along with class charts and students' writer's notebooks. Findings indicate students each made multiple intentional decisions in their writing resulting from RLW, categorized into five overarching types of decisions. Most commonly, students reported decisions related to ideas and craft moves. Less frequent, but used across units, students turned to mentor texts to make decisions regarding structure, revision and/or editing, and problem-solving. The implications of this research highlight RLW as an approach supporting what is known about effective writing instruction, that is applicable at all stages of the writing process. The learning is generative, offering students a tool for approaching learning about writing which they can apply independently as reader-writers and carry with them and continue to employ in the future.
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    Committee: Denise N. Morgan (Committee Chair) Subjects: Education; Middle School Education; Reading Instruction

  • 9. Gaffga, Amanda Mnemonic Strategies To Teach Letter Formation

    Master of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2021, Education

    The present study investigated the effects of mnemonic strategies used to teach first graders correct lowercase letter formations. A group of 18 first grade students participated in the study, and nine of the students received an intervention that utilized mnemonic images to teach correct letter formations. All students were assessed on their abilities to form letters within words and in isolation before the intervention began, and again after six weeks of intervention. The results showed students in the intervention group outperformed students in the control group on two out of three measures. The intervention group also showed statistically significant growth between the pre- and postassessments. Within the intervention group, students in the lowest performing subgroup made the most growth on all three assessments, therefore suggesting that the intervention had the greatest effect with low-achieving students. More research is needed to increase the perceived importance of writing, and more specifically, letter formation teaching strategies.
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    Committee: Amy McGuffey (Advisor); Christy Garver (Committee Member); Sally Brannan (Committee Member); Kristin Farley (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Elementary Education; Literacy

  • 10. Urias, Brian Adapting writing transfer for online writing courses: Instructor practices and student perceptions

    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, English (Rhetoric and Writing) PhD

    With almost no exceptions, scholarship on writing transfer has been situated in face-to-face writing courses; any unique affordances and challenges OWI has for writing transfer are largely unknown. This study addressed that unknown territory through a convergent mixed methods research design involving students and instructors of online first-year writing courses at BGSU. The student-focused portion of the study, examining how students' perceptions of writing and themselves as writers developed during the course, involved a survey, given at the bookends of the Spring 2020 semester, and follow-up interviews with four of the survey participants. The faculty-focused portion involved a series of interviews supplemented with artifact collection in order to learn about how writing faculty practiced transfer-oriented pedagogy in online courses. The student portion of the study revealed a complex response to OWI, certainly complicated by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that had quickly dominated life in the Spring 2020 semester. While data suggested some changes to students' perceptions about writing and writing transfer, the largest shifts occurred in response to questions about their perceptions of themselves as writers and their dispositions toward writing, with both negative and positive results. The faculty portion of the study revealed that faculty, though varied in their approaches toward adapting pedagogy for online courses, included dispositional development within their teaching goals and philosophies and responded, in their varied pedagogies, to the lack of immediacy that characterizes online learning. The alignment of dispositional goals named by faculty and the attitudes toward writing and learning reported by students suggests that OWI may offer positive development of certain learning dispositions toward writing transfer. This research suggests that writing instructors and program administrators should consider intentional alignment of dispositions w (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Neil Baird (Advisor); Neal Jesse (Other); Dan Bommarito (Committee Member); Scott Warnock (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Pedagogy

  • 11. Swineford, Dolores HOW NOVICE TEACHERS DESCRIBE THEIR PREPARATION TO BE WRITING TEACHERS: A MIXED METHODS STUDY

    Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), University of Findlay, 2020, Education

    Since 2010, current Ohio English Language Arts standards have shifted to place more emphasis on writing and writing in response to literature when compared to previous standards that focused on literature. This mixed methods study examined novice 4th-8th grade Ohio public school English teachers' perceptions of Education Preparation Providers (EPP) related to writing as well as teachers' self-efficacy as writers and teachers of writing as related to their EPP writing experiences. Limited research has been conducted on this population in relation to the current Ohio English Language Arts standards for writing and EPP experiences. Additionally, limited research has been conducted on the differences between the type of educator licensure related to EPP experiences related to the development of teachers' self-efficacy as teachers of writing. Data included online survey results from 38 Ohio 4th-8th grade English teachers and seven semi-structured teacher interviews. Findings suggested that novice teachers do not distinguish between their EPP experiences and other university coursework as they prepared to be teachers of writing, that teachers do not feel adequately prepared to meet all students' writing needs, and that explicit EPP coursework in teaching writing increases teachers' self-efficacy as teachers of writing. This study highlights the need for EPPs to evaluate their current preparation practices for teachers of writing. EPPs also need to examine current field experience practices to ensure teacher candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge learned during EPP coursework. It is recommended that universities utilize resources outside of EPPs as an integral component of developing teachers' self-efficacy as writers and teachers of writing.
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    Committee: Amanda Ochsner Dr. (Committee Chair); Christine Denecker Dr. (Committee Member); Nicole Williams Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Curriculum Development; Education; Education Policy; Higher Education; Teacher Education

  • 12. Joo, Hyun Jung Teacher Change in Argumentative Writing Instruction in a High-School ESL Classroom: A Longitudinal Study

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, EDU Teaching and Learning

    Argumentative writing is a crucial skill in the school years and beyond, and there is an emphasis in various local, state, and national standards on argumentative writing. However, such writing is known to be a challenging and complex genre for English Learners (ELs) with limited English proficiency as well as cultural differences in terms of how argumentative thought and writing are conceptualized (Hirvela, 2013). It can be equally challenging and complex for many English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, who are often ill-equipped for writing instruction (Larsen, 2013, 2016). From a research perspective, there have been few studies exploring the abilities and needs of ESL teachers as relates to instruction in argumentation, especially in high school settings, where various learning and achievement standards are increasingly requiring a focus on argumentation despite the difficulty of teaching and learning argumentative writing regarding ELs. To address the gaps in the scholarship discussed above, this dissertation explores how a ESL teacher, Ms. Patrick, sought to develop her expertise in teaching argumentative writing in a suburban high-school ESL class for ELs over a two-year period using a classroom-based research methodology that involved ongoing observations of her class sessions, interviews with her and her students, and examination of her teaching activities and materials as well as her students' responses to her instruction. This study employed as an analytical tool the notion of expertise, particularly a distinction between what is known as routine and adaptive expertise, to examine how Ms. Patrick initiated and engaged in change as a teacher over time with respect to her understanding of argumentative writing, her curricular planning, and her instructional activities. The study's findings revealed that Ms. Patrick acquired at least a degree of Hedgcock and Lee's (2017) three types of knowledge essential for ESL teachers: (1) subject matter knowled (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Alan Hirvela (Advisor); George Newell (Committee Member) Subjects: English As A Second Language; Pedagogy; Teacher Education

  • 13. Beam, Sandra Technology and Young Children's Growth as Writers

    PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies

    The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to examine one kindergarten teacher's use of digital and multimodal technologies to mediate early writing instruction, explore the students' appropriation of that instruction to support their independent writing, and investigate how student use of the tablet application, Seesaw, mediated student writing. Data sources included observations of writing instruction as well as students' participation during independent writing time, student handwritten and digital writing samples, and interviews with the case study participants. Data was analyzed inductively using a sematic relationship analysis (Hatch, 2002) and a conventional content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005). Results of the study revealed that the teacher explicitly taught new literacies skills so that students could be independent users of the technology. The teacher's process approach to writing instruction focused on helping students plan, revise, and publish their writing. The technology afforded students the opportunity to engage in revision strategies and publish their writing in a digital environment where the teacher invited parents into the online writing community to view and comment on their child's digital writing. Students appropriated important concepts and strategies from their teacher's writing instruction, which they used to compose narrative texts during independent writing time. However, the technology constrained the students' writing in that it added to their cognitive load, limiting the details included in their shorter digital compositions as compared to their handwritten compositions.
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    Committee: Cheri Williams Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Connie Kendall Ph.D. (Committee Member); Matthew Schmidt Ph.D. (Committee Member); Dong-shin Shin (Committee Member) Subjects: Teacher Education

  • 14. Ryu, Sanghee Teaching and Learning of Sophisticated Argumentative Writing Based on Dialogic Views of Rationality in High School Language Arts Classrooms: A Formative and Design Experiment

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2016, EDU Teaching and Learning

    This dissertation examines how dialogic views of rationality might be employed in the teaching of argumentative writing in ways that lead to the development of sophisticated argumentative writing. The theoretical framing of the study was grounded in social constructivism, micro-ethnographic discourse analysis, a social practice approach to literacy, and multiple views of dialogic rationality. The setting for the study was two high school language arts classrooms in the Midwest of the United States focusing on argumentative writing over a period of one academic year from Autumn 2013 to Spring 2014. The methodology employed in the study was a formative and design experiment in which dialogic views of rationality were incorporated into classroom argumentative practices in iterative cycles that were performed for the purposes of generating questions and conjectures, designing interventions, engaging in interventions, and conducting retrospective analyses. Using micro-ethnographic discourse analysis, the video files of the classroom interactions and interviews with the teachers and students were analyzed to contextualize students' argumentative writing and to clarify our understanding of their improvements and struggles. Findings from the study include that argumentative practices that developed from dialogic views of rationality positively affected students' development of sophisticated argumentative writing. In particular, taking an explorative stance toward complexity made a difference by extending students' ways of dealing with complexity. Students' products showed that they were able to heuristically construct tensions, progress in their ideas from exploring tensions, and integrate the insights they gained from exploring tensions into their thesis. Based on these findings, theoretical constructs were generated about the system of evidence, the system of warrants, response to complexity, the development of a thoughtful thesis, and the role of these constructs in the (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: David Bloome Dr. (Advisor); George Newell Dr. (Committee Member); Richard Voithofer Dr. (Committee Member); Cynthia Selfe Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

  • 15. Singleton, Meredith A Study on the Impact of Collective Feedback in the Online Technical and Professional Communication Classroom

    PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2016, Arts and Sciences: English and Comparative Literature

    This dissertation study seeks to determine whether feedback in the online Technical and Professional Communication classroom impacts student performance. This dissertation proposes that online Technical and Professional Communication instructors consider adopt such a feedback methodology in order to engage students with writing practices that better align with workplace writing activities. My research encompasses two parts: a small pilot study and a larger study. The larger study was developed from the results of an initial pilot study assessing impact of feedback on student performance in Technical and Professional Communication courses. Based on quantitative research through the analysis of student artifacts by outside reviewers, this larger dissertation study sought to determine the quantifiable impact collective feedback had on student performance versus that of individual feedback in online Technical and Professional Communication writing courses. Then, this study consulted participating faculty to determine hesitation or willingness of the instructor to adopt such pedagogical changes in their online courses. This feedback provided insights into how instructors respond to large shifts in pedagogy and impacts future adaptation of this study. Furthermore, this study also surveyed professionals within technical fields to gain a better understanding of the writing practices that take place within the workplace. Because a central aim to Technical and Professional Communication courses is to prepare students for workplace practice as technical writers, this study sought to determine if current academic practices align with those in the field. Through qualitative feedback from the field, this study proposes that collective feedback better prepares students for workplace practice than do academic feedback strategies currently used in the Technical and Professional Communication classroom. Ultimately, this study proposes that collective feedback provides opportunities (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Lisa Meloncon Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher Carter Ph.D. (Committee Member); Mary Beth Debs Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kirk St. Amant Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Safety

  • 16. Vingum, Ryan Re-Thinking Consultant Participation: Participatory Design Methods in an Online Consultant Training Program

    Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, English

    This thesis argues for the application of participatory design methodologies in the context of online writing center training programs. Such an approach will help engage consultants more actively in the work of writing centers and help them to better understand how to work effectively online. This research is a preliminary exploration of the connections between participatory design methodologies and online consultant training and uses two case studies of consultants in online training. Data is coded for three key themes that connect consultant reflections to participatory design: Previous Practice, Preferences, and Descriptions of Training Experiences. I conclude by contextualizing these themes in current scholarship, articulating a participatory online training program heuristic, and arguing for more research to better explore the relevance of these methodologies.
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    Committee: Tim Lockridge (Committee Chair); Heidi McKee (Committee Member); Katharine Ronald (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Rhetoric

  • 17. Bell-Nolan, Mary Writing is Worth the Challenges: A Qualitative Study of Teachers' Beliefs, Experiences, and Common Core Tensions with Writing Instruction Across the Curriculum in an Urban High School

    PHD, Kent State University, 2015, College of Education, Health and Human Services / School of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum Studies

    The teaching of writing in elementary school settings has been well documented through research. However, when it comes to secondary schools settings, the literature reveals a gap in treatment of writing instruction in an urban school environment. This study adds to the literature guided by three major research questions: (1) What beliefs do secondary teachers across the curriculum hold about teaching writing in an urban high school? (2) What are secondary teachers' experiences with writing instruction in an urban high school? (3) What tensions emerge for secondary teachers with writing instruction in an urban high school that is implementing Common Core State Standards? The purpose of this interpretative qualitative study was to understand six secondary teachers' writing beliefs, experiences, and tensions in implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with respect to writing instruction across the curriculum through a social constructivist framework. Purposeful Sampling and Responsive Interview Method procedures were utilized in this study. Teachers participated in interview sessions along with follow-up questions during a school semester. Data transcribed and coded using NVivo software. Themes and patterns identified as they emerged through analysis of statements and interpretation of data collected. The findings of this study suggest that teachers have limited skills and various challenges that prevent effective writing instruction in the classroom. These results prompted the presentation of numerous implications for teachers, administrators, school districts, and teacher educational programs.
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    Committee: William Bintz Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Lori Wilfong Ph.D. (Committee Co-Chair); Susan Iverson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Steve Turner Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Leadership; Higher Education; Language Arts; Literacy; Minority and Ethnic Groups; School Administration; Secondary Education; Teacher Education; Teaching

  • 18. Blackstone, Jordan Ready or Not: Addressing the Preparation Gap Between High School and College-Level Writers

    Master of Education (MEd), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Curriculum and Teaching

    The educational community has long since recognized that there is preparation gap between high school and college-level writing. Current literature revealed six primary categories of concern: quantity of writing, use of formulaic writing strategies, development of cognitive skills, audience and purpose for writing/writing as communication, student qualities, and genre/cross-discipline features of writing. In light of these gaps, deliberate attention must be directed towards examining instructional strategies that might be effective in preparing students to meet the demands of college-level writing. Therefore, the focus of this research was to examine the effectiveness of current instructional strategies and their ability to address the preparation gap between high school and college-level writing. Three high school English Language Arts teachers participated in this study, which sought to explore the following research questions: 1) What instructional strategies are high school teachers using to teach college-preparatory writing? and 2) Are the instructional strategies used by high school teachers effective in addressing the main areas of the preparation gap between high school and college-level writers? A series of three interviews were conducted with three teacher participants, and classroom observations were conducted over the course of two months; additionally, artifacts such as curricular materials and student work samples were collected. The six categories of the preparation gap were used as a framework to analyze data from teacher interviews, observations, and artifact collection. Five themes emerged which directly relate to the effectiveness of classroom teachers’ instructional strategies in addressing the preparation gap: philosophy and purpose of high school writing instruction, instructional transparency, community, students’ identities as writers, and cross-discipline collaboration. Results from this study suggested that when (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Timothy Murnen (Advisor); Tracy Huziak-Clark (Committee Member); Cheryl Hoy (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Education; Language Arts; Literacy; Teacher Education

  • 19. GRATZ, MICHELLE A COMPARISON OF STUDENTS' AND TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE WRITING PROCESS

    MEd, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Education : Curriculum and Instruction

    This study was an attempt to view the writing process through the eyes of the students. It was an effort to discover what students believe about writing, specifically about the social aspects and the process of writing. In addition, teachers were questioned to determine if they could accurately report what students believe about writing. Questionnaires were completed by 80 fourth-grade students and 3 fourth-grade teachers in a middle-class, suburban district. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 5 students and 1 teacher. Findings showed that students value being creative and choosing their own topic. Students also stated that content and mechanics, followed closely by neatness, were the most important aspects of good writing. Results of teachers' reports of student beliefs were mixed. When reporting which genres students enjoy the most, teachers accurately reported fictional stories, letters and journals. However, teachers believed that students enjoyed the social aspects (sharing and discussing their writing with others) more than the students actually did. Students reported that they preferred the private aspects of writing (drawing pictures, being creative and typing).
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    Committee: Keith Barton (Advisor) Subjects:

  • 20. Lee, Hyunju Responding to Genre-Based Writing Instruction: An Interpretive Study of L2 Writers' Experiences in Two Graduate Level ESP/EAP Writing Courses

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2010, ED Teaching and Learning (Columbus campus)

    Genre theory has greatly influenced ESP/EAP writing instruction, but little is known about the perspectives of the students and how they learn in genre-based writing classrooms. This study investigated the learning of four first year international students enrolled in a two-course sequence of ESP/EAP writing to see how learners respond to genre-based writing instruction. The participants were selected according to their level of study (M.A., PhD) and their disciplines (Science, Education). I was the teacher of both courses. In the classroom, the students were first introduced to a typical version of a genre that was introduced in the textbook; then, in groups, they analyzed how this genre was realized in their own disciplines. The students were then required to write three drafts of this genre individually, using contents from their own disciplines. They met with me for a one-on-one tutorial after submitting the first draft and received a letter grade for the third draft. Written feedback was given for all three drafts. Observation notes from the classroom, audio-recordings of the tutorials, and drafts of the students were analyzed using the interpretive participant observational framework proposed by Erickson (1986). The findings demonstrate that each student needed to travel what I call the interpretive distance, the distance between the model version of the genre to the actual application of it into their own disciplines. By completing each assignment and traveling the interpretive distance repeatedly during the two quarters, each student was able to identify specific roadblocks that inhibited themselves from navigating the interpretive journey independently. These roadblocks were different combinations of (1) an understanding of genre, (2) language proficiency, and (3) knowledge of their disciplinary field. The four cases are illustrative of the interpretive distance because for each participant, one aspect of genre writing was invisible to them, and their draft (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Alan Hirvela (Advisor); Diane Belcher (Committee Member); Leslie Moore (Committee Member); George Newell (Committee Member) Subjects: Composition; Education; Literacy