Policies and Practices in Foreign Language Writing at the College Level: Survey Results and Implications

Abstract

This artide contains results from an online survey that asked 66 college‐level language program directors of French, German, and Spanish in (he United States about policies and procedures governing foreign language writing at iheir respective institutions. Survey categories included (1) general Information, (2) Information regarding practices and treatment of drafts, (3) policies and procedures regulating instructors' response to students' writing, and (4) mechanisms for providing feedback. Results indicate that the size of the program and the professional level of the instructors were the primary factors influencing how writing was treated. More specifically, larger programs‐in particular those with teaching assistants‐were more likely to have estahlished policies and procedures regulating treatment of foreign language writing. The article includes survey implications and pedagogic recommendations.