How does argumentive writing develop as young adolescents examine evidence and engage in rich peer discourse on a succession of four topics (13 class sessions each) over an academic year? Three classes participated, one randomly assigned to a control group and two to experimental groups. In a supporting-evidence experimental group, students only examined evidence that supported their own favored position on a topic. In a mixed-evidence experimental group, students examined multiple types of evidence that supported their position, weakened their position, supported the opposing position, or weakened the opposing position. A control group was not provided any evidence. In individual final essays on each of the topics, both experimental groups included more evidence-based statements and were more successful in using evidence functionally to address a claim, compared to the control group. The experimental groups did not differ from one another in the employment of evidence-based arguments that supported their own position and both groups surpassed the control group in this regard. The mixed-evidence group exceeded the supporting-evidence and control groups in the successful use of evidence that weakened the opposing position; the supporting-evidence group also surpassed the control group in this regard. In use of evidence that supported the opposing position there was an effect of time, with performance improving over time, and an interaction between time and condition with the mixed-evidence group surpassing the control group by topic four. (There was low incidence of, and no significant effects for, use of evidence that weakened own position.) In a final year-end transfer assessment, all students wrote on a novel topic and had access to the same set of mixed evidence. Evidence use on this essay showed a condition effect, with the mixed-evidence intervention group using more evidence than either of the other two groups (who did not differ from one another). However, in contrast to their essay writing on the topics with which they had deep engagement during the intervention itself, these essays by the mixed-evidence group on a novel topic included with little exception only evidence to support their own position. Even though they were able to show their skill in using the range of types of evidence when they had gained familiarity with the topic, the lack of experience with the transfer topic limited their ability to fully implement their skills in using evidence in argument. These findings suggest that students’ argumentive writing, specifically with respect to the use of evidence, benefits from experience with a variety of forms of evidence, including evidence that weakens as well as supports claims. More broadly, these findings support dialogic argumentation as a productive technique in the development of student’s individual argumentive writing.

How to teach writing is a consistently complex problem in the field of English education. This qualitative narrative research project seeks to further complicate that problem by suggesting, through improvisation theories, two shifts in understanding writing instruction: that texts themselves do not fully constitute the wholeness of the work and thus involve the meanings we ascribe to them (as writers, readers, teachers, and students); that our role as writing instructors is as disruptors and must be improvised (altered, shifted, adjusted) based on the meaning ascribed to the written work by students and teachers. This project explores the following questions: (1) If texts do not fully constitute the whole of the written work, then how do students and teachers explain and understand what writing is about? This question is addressed in two ways: (A) How do students understand what their writing is about? (B) How do I understand what they report to me? (2) What might it mean to improvise our role in writing instruction? How might student explanations provide the context to improvise our roles as writing instructors? The participants were three high school seniors. As the sole researcher, I interviewed each of the three participants, two males and one female, over the course of the first semester of their senior year. Through qualitative research, with dimensions of narrative research, this study suggests that provoking crucial disruptions in the students’ writing is an approach to writing instruction that involves dialogue with students, and reflection on practice. It is a collaborative approach between students and teachers. This study further suggests that how we prompt students is crucial to their writing experiences. And, through dialogue with students (which can be conceived of as a form of writing instruction), we can inform, explore, and question when and how we inspire students in their writing. This dissertation proposes that writing instruction is continuously and simultaneously inquiry and practice.

A basic component of argumentive writing is the coordination of claims with evidence bearing on them. Deep engagement in dialogic argumentation has been found to facilitate development of beginning students’ individual written argument. Despite progress in several respects following such engagement, in their argumentive writing middle-school writers frequently ignore evidence incongruent with their claims -- a violation of norms of skilled argument. The present research examines the effectiveness of engaging middle-school student dyads in joint meta-level reflection on the use of evidence in their argumentation, both anticipating its potential use and evaluating its actual use. A total of 54 Chinese 7th graders participated in a dialogic argument curriculum in 33 class sessions over four months. For each of three successive topics, evidence both congruent and incongruent with a dyads’ position on the topic was made available for their use. Half of the participants were assigned to an Evidence Reflection and Argument Practice (ER+AP) condition, in which in addition the dyad was prompted to discuss verbally and jointly complete reflection sheets regarding their evidence use. The other half of participants served in an Argument Practice (AP) condition, identical except for omission of the Evidence Reflection component. Analysis of participants’ individual written essays on the topic at the end of their engagement with each topic revealed superior performance on the part of the ER+AP group, with the reflection component enhancing their addressing evidence both congruent and incongruent with their claims. However, this happened only slowly. The superiority of the ER+AP group was most decisive by the last topic, when members of the ER+AP students also demonstrated an ability to connect two pieces of evidence serving conflicting argumentive functions. Fifty additional students participated in a control condition, included for the purpose of comparing their performance to that of the intervention students on a topic new to both groups. Both the ER+AP and AP intervention groups showed superior performance relative to the control group in including evidence congruent with their own position in their essays. Only the ER+AP group, however, showed superiority in addressing evidence incongruent with their position. Analysis of responses students provided to the evidence reflection sheets revealed developmental patterns over time, and explicated the underlying mechanism driving ER+AP students’ superior performance. Theories regarding the interiroization of cognition from inter- to intra-mental planes, as well as the supportive effects of meta-level engagement on transfer of skills, are invoked in accounting for the findings.

This work explores the place of creative non-fiction in Australian tertiary journalism education. While creative non-fiction — a genre of writing based on the techniques of the fiction writer — has had a rocky relationship with journalism, this study shows that not only is there a place for the genre in journalism education, but that it is inextricably linked with journalism. The research is based on results from studies using elite interviews and a census of Australian universities with practical journalism curricula. The first stage of this study provides a definition of creative non-fiction based on the literature and a series of elite interviews held with American and Australian creative non-fiction experts. This definition acknowledges creative non-fiction as a genre of writing that tells true stories while utilising fiction writing techniques such as point of view, dialogue and vivid description. The definition also takes into account creative non-fiction’s diverse range of publication styles which include feature articles, memoir, biography, literary journalism and narrative non-fiction. The second stage of the study reports upon elite interviews with Australian writers who have produced works in the genres of journalism and creative non-fiction. These interviews reveal the close relationship journalism and creative non-fiction share across a variety of approaches and techniques. This study also shows how creative non-fiction can improve the careers of journalists and the quality of journalism. The census of journalism programs further reveals the place of creative non-fiction in tertiary journalism education and prompts the formulation of a two tiered model for the genre’s inclusion in the curriculum. The first tier involves including creative non-fiction in a core journalism subject. The second tier is an elective creative non-fiction subject which builds on the skills developed in the core classes. Through the literature, and the responses of the elites and survey respondents, it was possible to show how creative non-fiction helps journalism students to appreciate the history of their profession, explore their talents and finally to be part of what may be the future of print journalism.

 The main goal of this paper is to study the difficulties Hong Kong secondary school students have using adjective patterns correctly in their writing. It also aims to explore the effectiveness of teaching strategies employed to improve their use of this aspect of English and to test the hypothesis that learners who are taught the concept of linking meaning and pattern in adjectives will be better able to use adjective patterns correctly in writing. 　　A case study of 60 Hong Kong Form 5 students’ writing was carried out. The data come from their exam essays, pre-test, post-test, questionnaire and interviews. To assist them in improving their use of adjective patterns in writing, workshops were run for the students who were divided into a control group and an experimental group of 30 students each. The findings suggest that the students had three main difficulties using adjective patterns correctly in writing: not knowing which grammatical structure to use, blending or mixing up two adjective patterns and not knowing which preposition to use. The findings also suggest that the teaching strategies had a beneficial effect on the correct use of adjective patterns in the 60 Form 5 students’ writing. In addition, the hypothesis posed seems to be somewhat tenable. 　　This paper ends by summarizing the main findings and pointing out the limitations of the study like time and logistic constraints. Also, it suggests possible implications for classroom teaching and for future research such as the need for larger-scale research on other aspects like underuse of adjective patterns in Hong Kong secondary school students’ writing. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

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This work explores the place of creative non-fiction in Australian tertiary journalism education. While creative non-fiction — a genre of writing based on the techniques of the fiction writer — has had a rocky relationship with journalism, this study shows that not only is there a place for the genre in journalism education, but that it is inextricably linked with journalism. The research is based on results from studies using elite interviews and a census of Australian universities with practical journalism curricula. The first stage of this study provides a definition of creative non-fiction based on the literature and a series of elite interviews held with American and Australian creative non-fiction experts. This definition acknowledges creative non-fiction as a genre of writing that tells true stories while utilising fiction writing techniques such as point of view, dialogue and vivid description. The definition also takes into account creative non-fiction’s diverse range of publication styles which include feature articles, memoir, biography, literary journalism and narrative non-fiction. The second stage of the study reports upon elite interviews with Australian writers who have produced works in the genres of journalism and creative non-fiction. These interviews reveal the close relationship journalism and creative non-fiction share across a variety of approaches and techniques. This study also shows how creative non-fiction can improve the careers of journalists and the quality of journalism. The census of journalism programs further reveals the place of creative non-fiction in tertiary journalism education and prompts the formulation of a two tiered model for the genre’s inclusion in the curriculum. The first tier involves including creative non-fiction in a core journalism subject. The second tier is an elective creative non-fiction subject which builds on the skills developed in the core classes. Through the literature, and the responses of the elites and survey respondents, it was possible to show how creative non-fiction helps journalism students to appreciate the history of their profession, explore their talents and finally to be part of what may be the future of print journalism.

In this study an attempt is made to describe and illuminate the attitude of both pupils and teachers to the introduction of a cognitivist process approach to the teaching of written literacy in one standard in a multi-cuI tural Eastern Cape Model C secondary school. Because the cognitivist process approach to the teaching of written literacy was to complement already existing strategies for the teaching of written literacy, the research took the form of collaborative action research in three standard nine English classrooms. Teacher- and pupil diaries were the main means of data collection. Two spirals of action research were conducted in an attempt to identify difficulties and improve practice. Diaries and discussion revealed a positive response to the drafting, revision and editing processes which researchers had already identified as the processes which skilled writers use in creating text. Acknowledgement of the benefits to be derived from peer response as audience was also established. Anomalies relating to the grouping of pupils for peer-editing were found to be a key issue in determining the relative success of the project. Difficulties were also found to exist in the ability of some of the pupils to engage effectively in peer-peer and teacher-peer negotiation of text. Possible reasons for these difficulties have been identified , and further research into the nature of the inherent power relationships which exist implicitly in a multi-cultural educational setting and impede negotiation would be necessary to appreciate fully the difficulties experienced.

M.Ed. / The teaching of writing skills applicable to the content subjects in the English second language classroom is a recent concern. The concern is raised by the emphasis which the communicative approach places on the integration of skills (Kilfoil and Van der Walt, 1997:263), which many teachers seem to ignore. This neglect is seen in the leaners' poor essays which they write both in the English second language classroom and in their content subjects. It should be emphasised that teaching writing skills does not only mean teaching learners how to write compositions and letters, as is usually done in the language classroom, but also implies teaching them how to write expository texts in other subjects. The focus of this research is a group of learners from historically black secondary schools in this Province who had failed matric several times and were admitted to various Colleges of Education in the Northern Province to be offered a Finishing Programme. These learners seem to be `underprepared' in as far as expository writing is concerned. Miller (1989:158) defines the concept of `underpreparedness' in educational terms as the gaps that the learners have in their knowledge which require help in filling in blank spaces. The finishing learners at the Colleges in the Province constitute a small group among thousands of matric pupils who are underprepared for matric.