Composition Course Research Articles

Feature: Student Plagiarism and First-Year Composition: A Study

This study reports on student comprehension of plagiarism and plagiarism avoidance before and after the first-year composition course.

Digital badges in undergraduate composition courses: effects on intrinsic motivation

Digital badges are being adopted widely in educational settings as an alternative assessment model, but research on their impact on motivation is scarce. The present study examined college undergraduates (n = 53) enrolled in first-year writing courses, where badges represented essential course outcomes. Participants were categorized as either high or low expectancy-values, and intrinsic motivation to earn badges was measured repeatedly during the 16-week semester. Participants’ attitudes toward digital badges also were investigated. Findings reinforced previous research that digital badges function differently according to the type of learner. Results indicated a generally positive view of badges in English courses, though levels of intrinsic motivation to earn the badges increased for high expectancy-value learners only. It is suggested that incorporating digital badges as an assessment model benefits learners who have high expectations for learning and place value on learning tasks, but badges also could disenfranchise students with low expectancy-values. Digital badges are viable as assessment tools but heavily dependent upon individual learner types.

Evaluation of sources: a new sustainable approach

Purpose– The purpose of this study was to test a method of teaching information literacy, using the Toulmin method of argumentation, to aid students in developing topics, evaluating sources and creating stronger arguments that avoided “myside” or confirmation bias.Design/methodology/approach– The Toulmin method of argument analysis was tested in two related studies. A quasi-experimental comparison study in six sections of English composition courses was implemented at a small liberal arts college. A traditional one-shot session was compared to a flipped class, incorporating Toulmin argumentation. A Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) test was administered and research papers analyzed using a rubric. A modified version of the Toulmin method, using images, was implemented in a two-unit information literacy course at a state university. Pretest and posttest information literacy test scores and research papers were analyzed.Findings– The first study showed that the experimental group performed better on the rubric scores for research papers when results were adjusted by excluding the one honors section. The survey results from this study showed mixed results for the flipped classroom approach. The second study showed a statistically significant improvement in pretest and posttest scores from the information literacy achievement test and the research paper rubric analysis showed that instructional goals were at least partly met.Research limitations/implications– Further research in incorporating instruction in argument into information literacy instruction is indicated. These studies integrated the Toulmin method successfully but represent fairly unique situations and thus more studies are needed to assess the overall impact of using this method in the context of information literacy instruction.Social implications– This study was implemented with two different population groups and shows how instruction can impact different groups differently and can be adapted to increase its effectiveness.Originality/value– The study highlights the value of collaborative assessment and of inclusion of critical thinking goals in information literacy instruction through instruction in argumentation using textual and visual means.

Investigating Students’ Reception and Production of Normalizing Discourses in a Disability-Themed Advanced Composition Course

In this article. I report on an IRB-approved auto-ethnographic study of a disability studies-themed rhetoric and compositon course that I designed and taught at a midsize Midwestern university. This study examines students multimodal life-writing compositions, "normal commonplace books (journals of students' encounteres with the assumptions--or commonplaces-- of normacy), and classroom discussion, asking: How do students' use normalizing discourses in relation to disability and other marginalized identity categories? And, how might educators pedagogically intervene in such discourses? Ultimately, I found that exploring "discourses of normalcy" might help educators access students' experiences with disability, and consequently, redress the hegemony of the norm. The study revealed that students were more likely to use normalizing discourses in their written responses rather than in class discussions. Similarly, the instructor intervened in these problematic discourses in written feedback rather than verbally in classroom exchanges. The study also proved that after exposure to critical disability studies, students were more willing to discuss other social issues relating to race, sexuality, religion, and class. In keeping with the aims of the special issue, the results of this study suggest one way to teach disability studies content to a variety of audiences, and details an approach used by a teacher-researcher to study a DS classroom.

ROLE OF VOLUME MODEL IN DEVELOPMENT OF COMPOSITE SYSTEMS OF CLOTHING FORM MAKING

In this article process of training of clothing designers in composition bases, the role of a propaedeutic course of composition in clothing design, features of proto clothing and paper clothing form making are viewed, associative and fi gurative approach and quilling as a method of heuristic solution of clothing form making are defi ned. Adaptation of educational process of clithing designers to new terms without loss of informational content and with a greater intensifi cation in connection with acceleration of modern rates of training is noted. The concepts exceptionally important for clothing design - clothing form making, structuring, proportionality - are highlighted in the article in the aspect of teaching of composition propaedeutic course.

Library Anxiety: A Grounded Theory and Its Development

This qualitative study explored the feelings of students about using the library for research. Personal writing, collected in beginning composition courses over a two-year period, was analyzed for recurrent themes. It was found that 75 to 85 percent of the students in these courses described their initial response to library research in terms of fear. Three concepts emerged from these descriptions: (1) students generally feel that their own library-use skills are inadequate while the skills of other students are adequate, (2) the inadequacy is shameful and should be hidden, and (3) the inadequacy would be revealed by asking questions. A grounded theory of library anxiety was constructed from these data.

The Pedagogy of the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives: A Survey

This study examines pedagogical uses of the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives (DALN), an online, publicly available, searchable database of autobiographical stories about literacy development. The DALN aspires to make visible the everyday literacy practices of ordinary people, a mission that makes it an invaluable resource for scholars and teachers. In particular, the DALN offers opportunities to deepen and complicate pedagogical approaches to literacy narratives in composition, rhetoric, and literacy studies. This article briefly reviews the historical uses of literacy narratives in composition courses before turning to current experiments incorporating the DALN. Based on surveys and conversations with instructors, the authors categorize and synthesize various approaches, providing specific examples and instructors’ reflections that offer insights and highlight areas of concern. The final discussion considers what this research suggests about best practices and critical questions for educators interested in using the DALN in their teaching.

“Gifts” of the Archives: A Pedagogy for Undergraduate Research

This essay details the pedagogical possibilities of incorporating archival research assignments in undergraduate rhetoric and composition courses. It uses Susan Wells’s concept of the “gifts” of the archives to explore a pedagogy for undergraduate research that emphasizes uncertainty and exploration—a pedagogy that has applications beyond undergraduate archival research projects.

Separated by a Common Language: Linguistic Relativity in a College Composition Course

Separated by a Common Language: Linguistic Relativity in a College Composition Course

Investigating ESL Students’ Timed Essays for Mainstream Composition Class Placement : Insights From Appraisal Theory

This study investigates timed writing among English as a Second Language (ESL) students that was used to place the students into mainstream composition courses in a U.S. academic institution. The student essays were analyzed using Martin and White’s (2005) appraisal framework evolved within a Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) paradigm. Data consist of graded timed essays written by twelve ESL students representing five different countries (China, Japan, Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam). This analysis was compared with written comments by the institution’s first language (L1) compositionist (the first?year writing program director, the so?called “gatekeeper”). The results, similar to major appraisal research findings (Hood, 2006; Lee, 2007), reveal distinctive differences in the utilization of appraisal resources between students with passing grades and those with failing grades. In addition, subtle differences were found between students with passing grades and those with borderline passing grades in their use of explicit versus implicit values of ATTITUDE resources within the appraisal system. The study concludes with pedagogical as well as theoretical implications of appraisal theory that are potentially valuable tools to facilitate L2 writing and research.

원어민 교수와 한국인 교수의 대학 영작문 수업 강의언어 비교분석*

The purpose of the study is to compare the nature of teacher talk between the native and non-native speaking professors with its focus on language functions and interaction modifications in English-mediated writing instruction. The study analyzed the classroom languages of two professors who were teaching college-level composition courses using the same textbook and syllabus. The classes taught by the two professors were videotaped, transcribed, and analyzed based on the AS-unit. The results showed both professors used all of the five functions in the order of information, suasion, opinion, future plans, and checking. The NS professor, on the other hand, used the information function more often, while the NNS professor relied more on the suasion function. The data also displayed that the NS professor gave more feedback responses, whereas the NNS professor asked more clarification requests and repeated their own utterances. The findings implied that the types and distribution of the teacher talk may be influenced by the subject-matter and the instructional foci of each professor.

“I just want to do it right, but it's so hard”: A novice teacher's written feedback beliefs and practices

This case study investigated teacher feedback beliefs and practices of a pre-service L2 writing teacher over one academic semester. Kim, the focal participant, was a second year MA TESOL student and taught an English composition course to ESL students at the university level. Data sources included four sets of commented-on students’ essays, a reflective journal, two semi-structured interviews, and member checking with the teacher. Students’ essays were coded for four types of written corrective feedback (WCF) (direct, direct with explanation, indirect, indirect with explanation) and compared to Kim's beliefs, as discussed in her journals and interviews. The analyses show, among other findings, that Kim believed in providing feedback on global concerns and, to a lesser extent, on local issues and in offering explanations to WCF instances. However, a detailed analysis of her actual practices revealed some mismatches, such that local WCF (83.9%) significantly outnumbered global WCF (16.1%). Other beliefs included the following themes: Feedback needs to be contextualized, is time-consuming, is a process that requires practice, and can lead to better writing. Relevant pedagogical implications for L2 teacher education and recommended reflective tools to support teachers as they develop feedback practices are discussed in the paper.

Library Instruction and Themed Composition Courses: An Investigation of Factors that Impact Student Learning

Many academic libraries partner with English composition in order to teach first year students skills related to academic research and writing. Due to the partnership between information literacy and first-year writing programs, it is important to evaluate how these programs can best support one another. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of two factors on student information literacy skill development: library instruction and section theme—defined here as class sections of the English 102 (ENG 102) program developed around a central topic selected by the instructor. A random sample of annotated bibliographies from 95 sections of ENG 102 were scored with two information literacy rubrics in order to find out if scores differed between sections based on the variables of library instruction and theme. The results of this study indicate that sections of the ENG 102 program that attended an information literacy instruction session scored significantly higher on the annotated bibliography assignment than sections that did not attend. We also found that themed sections of ENG 102 scored marginally higher on the annotated bibliography than non-themed sections of ENG 102. Implications for further research are discussed, including the potential impact of theme-based writing on information literacy learning.

World of Wordcraft: Foreign language grammar and composition taught as a term-long role-playing game

This article outlines an innovative approach to the instruction of foreign languages: a term-long role-playing game in the style of tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Students adopt personas, avatars, or “player characters” and take them through adventures, exploration, puzzles, and fights with monsters, all of which are tied to specific language-acquisition exercises and practice. I detail at length my specific implementation in an advanced undergraduate Latin prose composition course at Wake Forest University and its overall successful results. I also offer advice, cautions, and additional resources for both small-scale and large-scale implementations of the role-playing game pedagogical methodology.

Modeling of the Heat and Kinetic Phenomena Accompanying the Different Material Joining Using Solid-Phase Synthesis

Two-dimensional model of different material joining using solid-phase synthesis has been formulated. The model represents two-dimensional coupled thermal conductivity problem with allowance for the heat release due to chemical reaction course in an adhesive composition. The problem has been solved numerically with the help of a non-explicit difference scheme, coordinate splitting and linear double-sweep method. The influence of thermophysical parameters difference on the temperature and conversion degree fields, reaction zone width and conversion zone propagation velocity have been determined.

Reading, Writing, and Research for Undergraduates: Introducing Scholarly Inquiry by Writing a Grant Proposal

George Mason University is committed to developing students as scholars. This course project strives to introduce scholarly inquiry to undergraduates with a real-world, hands-on assignment. Working through an actual RFP, students practice a wide variety of skills related to research and scholarship. This project can be taught in English composition courses, community health courses, nursing courses, and health promotion courses.The American College Health Foundation makes annual awards of $2500 for proposals that foster healthy behaviors on college campuses. The proposals must follow specific guidelines and incorporate objectives from the Healthy Campus 2020 Program. Over approximately six weeks, students use the actual award proposal guidelines to: Identify the most important factors framing the proposal guidelinesIdentify a student objective from the Healthy Campus 2020 Program Research the health issue related to the Healthy Campus 2020 Student Objective Write an individual literature review about the student health objective Write a tentative proposal that addresses the student health objective Present individual proposals to the class Select some of the proposals for further development Work in groups to submit a full proposal that follows the award guidelines Work in groups to evaluate the proposals using the actual award guidelines Select some of the proposals for funding and provide written evaluations of the proposals

Daughters of the Seminaries: Re-landscaping History through the Composition Courses at the Cherokee National Female Seminary

Challenging histories of male-dominated composition instruction during the nineteenth century, this article recovers composition practices at the Cherokee National Female Seminary, locating the practices at the intersections of gender, race, and colonization. Through Indigenous storytelling and archival research methods, the author asserts that our cultural locations landscape our writing histories.

Why Do I Have to Write That?: Compositionists Identify Disconnects between Student and Instructor Conceptions of Research Writing that Can Inform Teaching

Why Do I Have to Write That?: Compositionists Identify Disconnects between Student and Instructor Conceptions of Research Writing that Can Inform Teaching

Extreme Puppet Theater as a Tool for Writing Pedagogy at K-University Levels

The pedagogical technique of “extreme puppet theater” is posited as a collaborative and novel learning tool for motivating students to study texts by creating new ones. Examples are provided of how this approach has worked in university courses in literature, composition, and creative writing. By extension, extreme puppet theater can be applied to other subjects, at all levels of academia, in order to offer an effective and engaging alternative to traditional teaching conventions.

The Crystal Ball Project: Predicting the Future of Composition and the Preparation of Composition Teachers

In this article the authors peer into current elementary classrooms and college composition courses in 2020 to envision what K–12 and composition curricula can do now to ensure today's students are prepared for those future composition classes. The authors interviewed veteran (20 or more years) K–6 teachers in a small university town and directors of composition programs. Both interview sets expressed a concern that we are not keeping pace with the changing literacies of our students. The interviews with the K–6 teachers also showed that students bring different literacy skills to elementary school than a generation ago. In addition, the authors conducted a survey across a multicampus research university to ascertain the kinds of compositions instructors assigned and whether multimodal compositions were an option. The survey indicated that change is already occurring at the university level. The authors argue it is imperative that K–16 educators, starting with middle and high school teachers, begin to dialogue about new literacies now or we will not be ready to prepare our students at either the secondary or university levels for 2020 and beyond.