Browsing by Subject "Writing"

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An Assessment of the Writing of Undergraduate Computer Science Students
(University of Minnesota, 2002) Nurkkala, Tom; Gini, Maria
Because I Write: A Teacher-Writer Teaches Writing
(2018-11) Baker, Jodi
Writing enhances learning and is recognized as being essential; however, writing is neglected in research, teacher preparation and in classrooms. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the majority of students are not proficient at writing. Teachers are often uncomfortable teaching writing because of its complexity, because they lack support or expertise, or because they are not writers themselves. Teachers who identify as writers can bring their knowledge about writing into the classroom. The focus of this study was to deeply understand the pedagogy of a 6th grade teacher-writer. Through seven weeks of daily participation and observations during writing instruction, ethnographic methods were employed to explore how an elementary teacher-writer teaches writing, how an elementary teacher’s writing identity impacts writing instruction and influences student writers, and how identifying as a writer contributes to a teacher’s ability to navigate multiple writing discourses to make informed pedagogical decisions. Prominent themes revealed that the teacher-writer’s instruction honored students’ agency and empowerment, embraced vulnerability, and incorporated reflective practice. The teacher-writer negotiated standards, district curriculum, literacy experts’ theories, students’ needs, and her own writing experiences. Based on the teacher’s dynamic pedagogy, I define a new term, “writing capital,” as the knowledge, experiences, and embodiment teacher-writers draw upon to plan and teach writing. Students identified strongly as writers and named their teacher’s writing and writing identity as influential factors. This study contributes to growing interest in how teachers’ writing identities impact writing instruction and students’ writing identities. Results suggest that teacher preparation programs and professional development should incorporate opportunities for educators to explore and develop writing identities, and writing curriculum should include opportunities for teachers to share their writing and writing lives with students.
Breaking out of the Ghetto: The Theory and Practice of Using Critical Embodied Writing to Build Inclusive Spaces of Identification and Alternative Notions of Progress in Writing Studies
(2016-12) Wolf, Anne
The fields of Rhetoric and Writing Studies have neglected to pay attention to the writing and theory of women of color feminist (WOCF) writers. Writing and Rhetorical scholarship has inadvertently promoted a progress narrative that connects progress in the field with capitalist progress and marginalizes non-white, non-capitalist, non-normative ways of knowing. Many WOCF writers have built theory about central concepts within Rhetoric and Writing Studies, and these disciplines stand to benefit greatly, in terms of theory, practice, and pedagogy, from paying attention to the work that has been done by WOCF writers on the following issues: embodiment, affect, memory, identification, and geography. This project builds on the theory of many of these writers by identifying a kind of writing practice I have termed "critical embodied writing".
The Challenge of Cooking for Chefs: Writing in the English Major
(University of Minnesota, 2001) Leyasmeyer, Archibald; Atkinson, Beverly; Gordon, Christine Mack; Nereson, Sally
Digital Struggles: Fostering Student Interaction in Online Writing Courses
(2013-07) Virtue, Andrew David
Online pedagogical environments present a new set of challenges to instructors who teach them. One of those challenges, often present in online writing courses, is the lack of interaction between students with each other, the instructor, and the course itself. Instead, there is often a certain sense of isolation in online writing courses to the point in which they can feel like modern day correspondence courses. This dissertation provides an overview of a computer mediated discourse analysis conducted during the fall of 2012 of a writing class that employed a combination of independent small groups and a rotating group moderator role. More specifically, each group of students (consisting of 4 members) was invisible to the rest of the class. The groups were used to increase the students&rsquo perceptions of visibility within their groups/course and to increase student agency through the group moderator role. My dissertation focuses on the results from a pre/post survey, three focus groups, and the textual analysis of class forums, peer reviews, and a group project. Using Vygotsky's concept of &ldquozone of proximal development&rdquo as theoretical foundation, I will attempt to answer two research questions: 1) How do small groups and group moderators affect student interaction in online writing courses and 2) What course design choices lead to positive student interaction in online writing courses? Although I cannot provide any general claims based on the small sample size of the participants in this situation, I can illustrate how an online writing course changes when it is configured using small groups and assigning group roles. Additionally, I hope to provide insight into how online writing courses can better facilitate course goals by configuring the online environment in certain ways including ideas on course scheduling, repurposing Web 2.0 technologies, and revising class assignments/activities.
Direct vs. Translated Writing: What Students Do and the Strategies They Use
(University of Minnesota, 2000) Cohen, Andrew D
This study explored an alternative approach to short essay writing on language assessment tasks. Thirty-nine intermediate learners of French performed two essay-writing tasks: writing directly into French as well as writing in L1 and then translating into French. Two-thirds of the students did better on the direct writing task across all rating scales; one-third, better on the translated task. While raters found no significant differences in the grammatical scales across the two types of writing, differences did emerge in the scales for expression, transitions, and clauses. Retrospective verbal report data from the students indicated that they were often thinking through English when writing in French, suggesting that the writing tasks were not necessarily distinct in nature. Since the study was intended to simulate writing situations that students encounter in typical classroom assessments, the findings suggest that direct writing may be the most effective choice for some learners when under time pressure.
El quipu: escritura andina en las redes informáticas incaicas y coloniales
(2015-06) Tun, Molly
In my dissertation I question the conceptions of writing that surfaced during the colonial period in Peru and argue that the quipu operated as a writing system which was central to the Inca civilization but later marginalized through Spanish colonization. This work brings to the forefront the importance of mathematics and counting in the context of conquest and colonization, as well as possible connections between semiotics and power. This research expands colonial studies by presenting new archival sources within an interdisciplinary approach. Such an analysis of the origins of colonial culture has the potential to re-locate Andean thought within the unilateral colonial power structures, thus changing the way in which minority discourse and indigenous agency is recognized and historicized.
Evaluating Students' Ability to Integrate Written and Visual Communication
(University of Minnesota, 1996) Gersmehl, Philip J.; Lockwood, Catherine M.
We are developing criteria for assessing writing skills of students and the applicability of written assignments in an introductory level geography course (US & Canada). This course usually has an enrollment of 175 to 250 students per quarter. Our proposal has two elements of research: 1) to determine ways to present instructions so that students clearly understand how to meld spatial ideas and graphical methods into their written arguments; and 2) to measure the degree to which students are able to integrate written and graphic text. Graphics are a powerful means of communicating ideas that text alone may not adequately convey. Graphics, in the context of geography, are more than simple illustrations. Geography combines written text with graphic text to explain spatial relationships. One of the most effective ways to portray spatial data is with maps (a graphic language with its own conventional symbols, grammatical rules, and semantic overtones). Several alternative instructions that build upon three previous projects were prepared and tested winter quarter 1993. These course projects are intended to develop an understanding of graphic text, along with the ability to read, analyze, and then explain map patterns through clear, concise written language. The instructions for the first project were a two-page handout. No formal explanation of the instructions was given, but examples and references to project elements were given in several lectures. The second project also included a two-page handout, supplemented by a poster exhibit. The display showed examples of effective integration of text and writing, proper use of color and cartographic techniques, and acceptable ways to calculate and adjust data sets. Students were given a two-page set of written instructions plus a thirty-minute formal classroom explanation for the third project. We developed forms to assess student performance in five specific areas: research, writing style, selection and description of analytical tools, integration of maps and other graphic texts, and bibliographic skills. Because of class size, a set of criteria and standards for uniform grading by teaching assistants was developed and tested. We are now evaluating the effectiveness of these criteria and student response to these projects. Preliminary evaluation of student work and method of instructions suggest that written instructions should be reinforced with some formal classroom explanation. The visual presentation enhanced student performance. Additional graphic displays would benefit students as well as aid the professor and teaching assistants with visual examples of project components. Based on the original objectives and preliminary findings of our research, we expect two outcomes: 1) students will develop a graphic vocabulary and a set of skills that can be used in other courses or applied fields; and 2) students will gain an alternative perspective on writing techniques (i.e. integration of graphic text and written text).
Incorporating Expressive Writing into the Classroom
(University of Minnesota, 1996) Hoover, Emily; Foulk, Doug
The goal of the project is to follow up the original research we conducted on expressive writing (see abstract in 1992-93 grants) by authoring and testing a "how-to" manual designed to facilitate instructor application of this effective learning strategy. We have written a prototype manual and distributed it to faculty in the Department of Horticultural Science for review. Based on the feedback we have received, we are revising the manual for submission to the Center of Interdisciplinary Studies of Writing. To further disseminate the information, we are scheduling seminars in departments within the College of Agriculture.
Informal Writing in Comprehensive History Survey Courses: An Experiment in the Use of Informal Writing Assignments in “Introduction to Western Civilization” at the University of Minnesota, 1989-1990
(University of Minnesota, 2003) Currin, John; Tracy, James
An Investigation of the Importance of Domain Specific Knowledge for Writing Proficiency
(University of Minnesota, 2003) Bart, William M; Evans, Karen M
A current question in cognitive psychology concerns the role of domain-specific knowledge for the development of thinking skills. This study addressed a related question of whether having the content knowledge of educational psychology is a good predictor of writing competency within the domain. Seventy undergraduate and post-graduate subjects enrolled in an introductory educational psychology course were assessed for content knowledge and also produced a writing sample evaluating an article in the discipline. For the entire sample, content knowledge and writing proficiency were not significantly correlated. For a sample of ten high knowledge subjects and ten low knowledge subjects, results were inconclusive. Using the scores of one rater, the ten high subjects had significantly greater writing competency scores than the ten least knowledgeable subjects. Using the scores of the other rater, this difference did not occur. Certain factors, however, may have confounded the results, in particular, the fact that subjects were engaged in acquiring domain-specific knowledge rather than employing already established knowledge bases.
Multicultural Nests: Finding a Writing Voice about Literature by Women of Color
(University of Minnesota, 1993) McNaron, Toni A. H.; Olano, Pamela J.
This project was predicated on the belief that writing about literature written by nonwhite writers must entail a radically different approach. We know by now that it is insufficient and indeed mischievous merely to alter syllabi slightly to include literary works by women and/or ethnic writers. We must design innovative assignments that encourage students to build contexts into which such fictive creations may be placed with less danger of expropriation or simple misreading. Multicultural Nests, an honors course in Women's Studies, provided us an opportunity to design a unique multicultural literature course with an innovative writing component. Students read four fictive works, each by a woman from a different culture: Night-Flying Woman by Ignatia Broker (Native American), The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (Asian American), Beloved by Toni Morrison (African American), and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende (Hispanic). In the first unit, cultural information was provided to students through lecture. For the remaining three, we organized students into four "families," each responsible for reporting to the class on one area of culture (visual arts; mythology, religion, and spirituality; music; and family and state structure/governance). The assumption behind all our writing assignments was that white students interacting with literature written by nonwhite authors require new critical criteria and modes for analyzing and discussing texts. Writing assignments were designed to empower students to find their voices, particularly by connecting the texts with their personal experience, and to deepen understanding of the texts by connecting them to their cultural contexts. We particularly wanted to block routine literary analysis and cultural expropriation ("they're just like us"). Our desire to propel students into the texts in unambiguous and respectful ways led us to design several fresh writing assignments. We first asked students to respond to an open-ended questionnaire about their attitudes, background, and self-concept. Students kept journals, reflecting on course material and on their own attitudes and experiences in relation to issues of diversity/multiculturalism. Students were also asked to write personal narratives, recount family legends, compare women's ways of knowing, select journal entries as examples of their best writing, and freewrite on provocative passages, characters, or thematic ideas in the novels. One writing assignment asked students to follow threads of their own experiences/perceptions in the personal narratives and weave a tapestry between/among the perceptions expressed by the texts they encountered in the class. At the end of the quarter, students were again asked to respond to the questionnaire. Based on student feedback and our own perceptions, this course was very successful. The combination of contextual nests and innovative writing allowed a class of mainly white students to discover fresh and non-appropriational modes for expressing their responses to the multicultural literature. For future offerings of this kind, we would focus on two cultures instead of four, allowing greater immersion in the culture and the opportunity to study several works from each, and we would spend more time building in mechanisms to foster trust and comfort among students.
Not Just Junk on the Web: How Online Writing Assignments May Benefit Student Writing
(University of Minnesota, 2003) McNaron, Toni; Miller, Carol
Online pedagogy: designing writing courses for students with autism spectrum disorders.
(2010-05) Wyatt, Christopher Scott
As more universities offer academic composition and technical writing courses via virtual classrooms, our institutions are also being asked to accommodate an increasingly diverse student population. The success of disability accommodations in elementary and secondary schools is expanding the number of students with special needs academically qualified for postsecondary admissions. Among these students are individuals with autism spectrum disorders--a population with unique gifts and needs. This project sought to determine how writing courses in virtual spaces might be improved for university students with ASDs. The original research propositions included the possibility that Web-based course management software could be optimized by examining virtual spaces favored by individuals with ASDs. Ninety-eight Web sites were analyzed and 48 adults with clinical diagnoses of autism disorders were surveyed. The results directly challenged the research propositions and require a rethinking of the delivery of online course content. Overwhelmingly, the communities analyzed and the individuals surveyed point to a need to deliver course content via e-mail, Really Simple Syndication (RSS), and other purely textual methods. Every online community studied relays content to members via both e-mail and RSS feeds, allowing participation without accessing a Web-based interface. Seventy-five percent of the individuals surveyed indicated Web sites present challenges that cannot be addressed via traditional accessibility practices. The data suggest online courses should offer e-mail and RSS interactions, as an option to the Web-based interfaces of most courseware platforms. While instructors of academic composition and technical writing courses might be tempted to recreate the traditional classroom in virtual simulations, this approach not only hinders participation by students with autism disorders, but also might exclude them from courses that form an important foundation for university success. Additionally, gender differences were found within the survey population, relating specifically to writing and communication practices. This study concludes with a recommendation for studies exploring these differences and any implications they might have for writing instruction, especially within virtual classroom settings.
Outside the Lines but on the Page: Perspectives on Writing in an Individualized, WritingIntensive Baccalaureate Degree Program
(University of Minnesota, 1994) Nereson, Sally; Leyasmeyer, Archibald; Warren, Kent
Professional Interpretive Planners Provide Recommendations for Writing Engaging Text
(2019-01-01) Eidbo, Forest
Interpretive signage is the dominant medium of education at most museums, zoos, and parks. While many studies examine how visitors read signage, none have looked at how professionals write them. Using existing literature as a framework, this study collects best practices from experts in the field on how to produce interpretive text. Through two online surveys to interpretive planners, this study collects the opinions on the use of questions, personal pronouns, figurative language, audience and more. The results from the two rounds of surveying produced 12 recommendations for interpretive writers to create signs like experts.
Stories from the Spectrum: How Special Interest Areas Affect Writing Quality for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
(2010) Sivertson, Krista; Hughes, Trudie; Nierengarten, Gerry
Autism Spectrum disorders affect one in 110 children in the United States today. Research has found that 60% of individuals with autism also have a learning disability in the area of writing (Calhoun & Mayes, 2006). Previously, the "fascinations" or "obsessions" of individuals with autism have been viewed as a deficit. No study to date has determined if written expression can be improved by incorporating special interests. Utilizing a strength-based model, the purpose of this study was to determine if Special Interest Areas affect writing quality for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Five participants in grades 2-5 were interviewed to determine their interest areas and each participant was provided with four writing prompts; two teacher-selected prompts and two SIA-based writing prompts. The results of this study indicate that Special Interest Areas positively affect writing quality for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Students of Color in the Writing Classroom: An Annotated Bibliography
(University of Minnesota, 1992) Evans, Carolyn; Miller, Carol
Students’ Perceptions of Written Instructor Feedback on Student Writing
(2018-04-23) Wisz, Eric
Research Question. How do students perceive instructor feedback on their writing when different feedback approaches are presented? Literature Review. Previous literature on instructor feedback on student writing suggested that instructors take the view of a reader as a way to offer student writers encouragement and criticisms while prompting a sense of audience awareness in student writers (Elbow, 1973; Brannon & Knoblauch, 1982; Shaughnessy, 1977). Shaughnessy, Olson (1999), Hesse (1993), and Elbow (1986) also recommended using feedback as an opportunity to facilitate a dialogue between instructors and students. Kent (1989) and Dobrin (1999) argued that feedback introduces student writers to new discourse communities and their underlying beliefs and that it is important of instructors to be conscientious of this fact. Previous research of student perceptions of instructor feedback on their writing has indicated that students prefer feedback that is specific and elaborate (Straub, 2000) and that focuses on their writing more so than their ideas (Lynch & Klemans, 1978). Whether students value feedback on grammar is debated in the literature (Lynch & Klemans, 1978; Shaughnessy, 1977). In this study, I have attempted to follow in Nordlof ’s (2014) footsteps and move away from the reductionist facilitative-directive spectrum in which offering more explicit feedback is seen as sacrificing student agency. Instead, I analyze the results of this study through a scaffolding paradigm, using degrees of directness to categorize feedback.
Toward a student-centered understanding of intensive writing and writing-to-learn in the Spanish major: an examination of advanced L2 Spanish students' learning in the writing-intensive Spanish content course.
(2009-12) Strong, Robert Marvin
The purpose of this study is to build upon our understanding of the place and value of writing in the advanced foreign language curriculum. Specifically, the study examines how students in writing-intensive Spanish-major courses are affected by the writing-intensive (WI) requirement at the University of Minnesota. Writing-Across-the-Curriculum (WAC), an educational movement which began in the 1960's in England and whose most fundamental tenet, writing-to-learn, emphasizes the value of writing in the learning process, has led to the establishment of writing-intensive curricula in post-secondary institutions throughout North America. The study is an attempt to give students a voice in the FL curriculum inasmuch as it investigates students' perceptions and attitudes regarding the writing-intensive requirement and explores what they believe they learn, in terms of the course content, writing skills and the Spanish language, as a result of their participation in the writing-intensive Spanish course. Both qualitative and quantitative data were employed in the study. Qualitative data were gathered by means of focus group interviews and open-ended questions on a written survey. Quantitative data were collected via the aforementioned survey and by way of pre- and post-write samples whereon errors per T-unit (E/T) analyses and topical structure analyses (TSA) were performed for verification of improvement in linguistic accuracy and coherence in students' writing respectively. No statistically significant improvement was found in terms of linguistic accuracy (E/T) or coherence (TSA) over the course of the semester and findings suggest that writers in Spanish as a FL may be more apprehensive about writing in Spanish than are English L1 writers about writing in English. Additionally it was found that many advanced Spanish student writers perceive that the workload associated with the WI requirement is excessive and that writing in Spanish as a FL is generally harder than writing in L1 English. On the other hand, however, many Spanish students expressed a belief that the WI requirement was no harder for them than for students writing in English and some expressed the sentiment that WI was actually more advantageous for Spanish students than for English L1 students given the value of writing for the language learning process. With regards to students' beliefs about their learning resulting from engaging in intensive writing in the advanced Spanish classroom, findings show that students generally believe that they learn not only how to be better writers but also that they improve in their abilities with the Spanish language and, especially, in their understanding of the subject matter of the course. Additional findings regarding students' learning of the Spanish language are that students generally believe that not only their Spanish grammar and vocabulary improved as a result of their participation in the intensive writing in the WI course, but also their ability to speak in Spanish. Based on the findings of the study, it is proposed that foreign language education practitioners be especially sensitive to students' perceptions and beliefs regarding both negative and positive aspects of writing in the FL curriculum.

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