Remedial Writing Courses: A Critique and a Proposal

1983 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Rose
Keyword(s):  
Remedial Writing ◽  
Writing Courses

A Comment on "Remedial Writing Courses"

1984 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 302
Author(s):  
David Peck ◽  
Elizabeth Hoffman
Keyword(s):  
Remedial Writing ◽  
Writing Courses

“Write like College”: How Remedial Writing Courses at a Community College and a Research University Position “At-Risk” Students in the Field of Higher Education

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (7) ◽  
pp. 1619-1664 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Kate Callahan ◽  
Donalda Chumney
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Community College ◽  
Research University ◽  
First Year ◽  
College Level ◽  
Remedial Courses ◽  
Remedial Writing ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Remedial Students

Background/Context Twenty percent of first-year students in public 4-year institutions and 42% of first-year students in public 2-year institutions in the United States enroll in remedial courses. Yet despite widespread remediation across U.S. colleges and universities, there remains a great deal of uncertainty about how remedial courses develop the academic skills and habits of mind required for students to succeed in college-level courses. Remediation at the college level is a widely debated practice, yet there is a dearth of research that assesses the efficacy of postsecondary remediation. In addition, there is evidence that student outcomes differ depending on whether students participated in remedial coursework at a community college or a 4-year institution. A theoretical analysis of first-year students’ experiences of remediation in both contexts may help to reveal the institutional structures that act to maintain or reduce this disparity in outcomes. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Two questions guided this study: (1) How do first-year developmental writing courses at a research university and a community college compare? (2) How do differences in institutional provisions of course content, instruction, and tutoring resources to remedial students at a research university and a community college impact students’ self-reported experiences in the first year of college? To address these questions, we analyze the relationship between postsecondary institutional structures and the efficacy of remedial writing instruction for underprepared students by examining the experiences and outcomes of remedial writing students enrolled in two institutions, an urban community college and an urban research university. We apply Pierre Bourdieu's theory of practice and consider remedial writing as a position in the field of higher education. Research Design A qualitative comparative case study approach was used, including three primary methods of data collection: ethnographic observations of students and instructors during one semester of course meetings; taped interviews with instructors, students, and a college writing program director; and a compiled catalog of course documents including course syllabi, class notes, assignments, and samples of student writing provided by instructors. Both course instructors also provided data on student performance. Using Atlas.ti qualitative analysis software, we coded and categorized field notes and interview transcripts to facilitate the development of theoretical concepts. Conclusions/Recommendations Although remedial writing can be viewed as a subordinate position in the overall field of higher education, our ethnographic study reveals that institutions further determine the advantage or disadvantage of remedial students by controlling their access to cultural capital and the supportive academic resources that are critical for navigating the field of higher education successfully. In addition, although all students in the two courses seemed to possess a college-going habitus, only students enrolled in the remedial writing program at the 4-year university acquired a habitus of what is required to be successful once enrolled. We believe that these findings may inform postsecondary remediation practices and add a new angle to the debate over whether remedial courses have a place at 4-year institutions. In particular, our findings suggest that it is not the type of institution but the confluence of curriculum, pedagogy, and level of resources afforded to students by the institution that influences students’ experiences with remediation.

The effects of topic familiarity on emotionality and linguistic complexity in EAP writing

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110335
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Abdi Tabari ◽  
Gavin Bui ◽  
Yizhou Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Complexity ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Automatic Assessment ◽  
Complexity Measures ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
Topic Familiarity ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
International Graduate

Focusing on the relationship between linguistic, cognitive, socioemotional factors in writing English for academic purposes (EAP), this study investigated whether topic familiarity as an important cognitive factor of task complexity influences different levels of emotionality and linguistic complexity in EAP writing and whether there are relationships between emotionality and linguistic complexity. To do so, 64 international graduate learners enrolled in EAP writing courses participated in the present study. Each wrote on familiar and unfamiliar topics determined via a questionnaire at the onset of the study. Their writings were then measured for textual emotionality and linguistic complexity using automatic assessment tools. Results showed that EAP writings differed systematically in terms of both emotionality and linguistic complexity due to the influence of topic familiarity. Unfamiliar topics led to writing performance with a significantly higher level of emotional negativity and significantly lower linguistic complexity levels as compared to familiar topics. A follow-up correlation analysis also revealed significant relationships between emotionality and linguistic complexity measures, indicating complex interactions between linguistic and socioemotional factors. Implications of these findings are discussed relative to deploying writing topics with varied levels of cognitive complexity for encouraging classroom engagement and improving L2 learners’ writing performance by effective task sequencing.

scholarly journals Genre Knowledge and Writing Development: Results From the Writing Transfer Project

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana Lynn Driscoll ◽  
Joseph Paszek ◽  
Gwen Gorzelsky ◽  
Carol L. Hayes ◽  
Edmund Jones
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Institutional Design ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Writing Development ◽  
First Year ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Genre Knowledge ◽  
Audience Awareness

Using a mixed-methods, multi-institutional design of general education writing courses at four institutions, this study examined genre as a key factor for understanding and promoting writing development. It thus aims to provide empirical validation of decades of theoretical work on and qualitative studies of genre and the nature of genre knowledge. While showing that both simplistic and nuanced genre knowledge promote writing development, our findings suggest that nuanced genre knowledge correlates with writing development over the course of a semester. Based on these findings, we propose an expanded view of Tardy’s four genre knowledge components and argue for their explanatory power. We recognize these genre components can be cultivated by using three particular strategies: writing for nonclassroom audiences, using source texts explicitly to join existing disciplinary conversations, and cultivating two types of metacognitive awareness (awareness of the writing strategies used to complete specific tasks and awareness of one’s levels of proficiency in particular types of writing knowledge). Findings can be used to enrich first-year or upper-division writing curricula in the areas of genre knowledge, audience awareness, and source use.

Using Multimedia for Instructor Presence in Purposeful Pedagogy-Driven Online Technical Writing Courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-52
Author(s):  
Heidi S. Harris ◽  
Michael Greer
Keyword(s):  
Course Design ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Instructional Materials ◽  
Engaged Learning ◽  
Writing Courses ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Instructor Presence ◽  
Course Outcomes ◽  
Writing Instructors ◽  
Student Projects

Teaching and composing with multimedia humanizes online technical writing and communication classes. However, students do not always see the connection between multimedia instructional materials, multimedia assignments, and the course learning outcomes. Purposeful pedagogy-driven course design uses multimedia instructional materials to connect assignments, course materials, and assessments with course outcomes. Technical writing instructors can integrate synchronous and asynchronous multimedia elements to address not only the what and why of online technical writing instruction but also the how of multimedia instructional materials. Example multimedia instructional materials and student projects discussed in the article can increase student retention and promote engaged learning.

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