“The Weight of Expectations: Deciphering Baggage and Defining Character in ‘Olivia’s Retreat’” charts the conception and development of Stacey Ashworth’s feature length sibling drama while also discussing the subsequent lessons she learned over its seven month evolution. / text

Rhetoricians have long been interested in public policy discourse. However, studies have yet to apply the micro-lens of writing process to this context. One consequence is that, while studies of policy discourse point to the complexity of this area, they do not investigate the writing behaviors this complexity inspires. Secondly, while studies of writing process in other areas of rhetoric allow us to theorize process, our theories are typically based on more structured writing environments—such as the classroom, academic discipline, and professional workplace. As a consequence, we know less about invention and other writing processes in more unpredictable, explicitly contested settings. To address these gaps, this dissertation presents a process-based case study of collaborative writing within the context of policy and legal discourse. The case study tracks the year-long work of a group of advocates who attempted to establish Domestic Partner Benefits (DPB) at a large public university. Due to legal restrictions, the writers could not assume a clear authority as they attempted to write a policy proposal together. In meetings in which they invented ideas, a prominent behavior emerged in their talk, what this dissertation refers to as role-play work. Role-play work is a theory of rhetorical invention in which writers propose roles for themselves and their audiences, develop arguments from within those roles, and try to identify how they might be recognized or misrecognized as a consequence of assuming roles. Tracing patterns in the writers’ talk, this dissertation describes role-play work at three critical junctures: in the early stages, when the group lacks legal resources, during a tumultuous hunger strike in which the institution delivers its interpretation of the law, and during the group’s later writing process, when the group has a working understanding of a legal argument they can propose. This dissertation analyzes how writers use role-play to engage authoritative discourse that manifests at each stage: first, to imaginatively co-construct what might be authoritative, next, to confront authority-as-articulated, and finally, to understand the nuance of a potentially authoritative argument. Findings presented in this dissertation may be relevant to scholarship in professional and technical communication, collaborative writing and invention, writing process research, policy discourse, discourse analysis, and queer studies. / text

Dans les dernières décennies, le présumé déclin de la compétence scripturale des élèves québécois a soulevé les passions. Force est d’admettre que leurs compétences sont lacunaires : tant les rapports du ministère de l’Éducation (Jalbert, 2006; Ouellet, 1984) que les études scientifiques ou gouvernementales (Bureau, 1985; Groupe DIEPE, 1995; Roberge, 1984) révèlent leur incapacité à s’approprier l’écriture. Les TIC pourraient bien faire partie de la solution : on sait pertinemment qu’elles favorisent la réussite scolaire dans certains contextes (Barayktar, 2001; Christmann & Badgett, 2003; Waxman, Lin, & Michko, 2003). Toutefois, modifient-elles le processus scriptural au point d’en faciliter l’apprentissage? Cette question constitue le cœur de l’actuel projet de recherche. Les modèles du processus d’écriture comme celui de Hayes et Flower (Flower & Hayes, 1981; Hayes, 1995; Hayes & Flower, 1980) rappellent que les TIC font partie du contexte de production; à ce titre, elles influencent autant la qualité des textes que les processus cognitifs et la motivation. Elles libèrent notamment des ressources cognitives, puisqu’elles prennent en charge certaines opérations, comme la calligraphie (Daiute, 1983). Partant, le scripteur peut se concentrer davantage sur des tâches plus complexes. Des méta-analyses (Bangert-Drowns, 1993; Goldberg, Russell, & Cook, 2003) attestent que le traitement de texte exerce un effet minime, mais statistiquement significatif sur la qualité de l’écriture. Toutefois, il est associé à des révisions en surface (Faigley & Witte, 1981; Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2006). Rares sont les projets de recherche qui explorent simultanément l’impact du traitement de texte sur plusieurs dimensions du processus scriptural; plus rares encore sont les travaux qui se sont intéressés à ce sujet depuis les années 1990. Pour pallier ce manque, cette thèse de doctorat vise à 1) mesurer l’effet des TIC sur la qualité de l’écriture; 2) décrire l’impact des TIC sur les processus cognitifs de révision et de traduction; 3) mesurer l’impact des TIC sur la motivation à écrire. Pour y arriver, nous recourons à une méthodologie mixte. D’une part, un devis de recherche quasi expérimental nous permet de comparer les scripteurs technologiques aux scripteurs traditionnels; d’autre part, une approche qualitative nous laisse accéder aux pensées et aux perceptions des utilisateurs de l’ordinateur. Les trois articles qui constituent le cœur de cette thèse rapportent les résultats relatifs à chacun des objectifs spécifiques de recherche. Dans le premier texte, nous avons mesuré les effets du traitement de texte sur la compétence scripturale. L’analyse statistique des données colligées nous a permis de dégager une amélioration des performances, strictement en orthographe d’usage. En comparaison, les élèves du groupe témoin se sont améliorés davantage en cohérence textuelle et ont mieux performé en orthographe grammaticale. Le deuxième article propose de faire la lumière sur ces résultats. Nous y étudions donc l’impact des TIC sur le processus cognitif de révision. Ce volet, basé sur une approche qualitative, recourt largement à l’observation vidéographiée. Nous y mettons d’abord en évidence le grand nombre d’erreurs commises lors des séances d’écriture technologiques; nous faisons également ressortir la sous-utilisation du vérificateur linguistique, qui pose peu de diagnostics appropriés ou qui est souvent ignoré des scripteurs. Toutefois, malgré cette sous-utilisation du traitement de texte, des entrevues de groupe font état de perceptions positives à l’égard des TIC; on leur prête des vertus certaines et elles sont jugées motivantes. Ce phénomène constitue le cœur du dernier article, au cours duquel nous tâchons de mesurer l’impact du mode d’écriture sur la motivation à écrire. Nous menons ce volet dans une perspective quantitative. La motivation des participants a été mesurée avec une échelle de motivation. L’analyse statistique des données montre que les élèves technologiques sont motivés intrinsèquement par les technologies, tandis que leurs pairs du groupe témoin sont amotivés. Lors du chapitre conclusif, nous mettons ces résultats en relation, tentant d’expliquer globalement l’impact des TIC dans le processus scriptural. Au terme de notre thèse, nous formulons des recommandations destinées aux praticiens et aux décideurs engagés dans le système éducatif. / The supposed decline of writing skills in Quebecois students’ during the last decades has raised vigorous debates. Admittedly, their competencies show deficiencies. Indeed, reports by the Ministry of Education (Jalbert, 2006; Ouellet, 1984) and research, both scientific and governmental (Bureau, 1985; Groupe DIEPE, 1995; Roberge, 1984), reveal their incapacity to appropriate the writing process. ICT might well be part of the solution : it is a well-known fact that they encourage scholastic achievement in certain contexts (Barayktar, 2001; Christmann & Badgett, 2003; Waxman, et al., 2003). However, do they modify the writing process so as to facilitate its learning? This question is at the heart of the current research project. Writing process models, such as those of Hayes and Flower (1981; 1995; 1980), remind us that ICT are a part of the Context component; as such, they influence the quality of the texts as much as cognitive processes and motivation. They unburden the cognitive process by taking on certain functions such as calligraphy (Daiute, 1983). Consequently, the writer may concentrate on more complex tasks. Meta-analyses (Bangert-Drowns, 1993; Goldberg, et al., 2003) show that the use of word processors has a small yet statistically significant effect on the quality of writing. That being said, they are mainly linked to surface changes (Faigley & Witte, 1981; Figueredo & Varnhagen, 2006). Research projects that explore the impact of word processors on the writing process and its various dimensions simultaneously are rare, even more so since the last twenty years. To satisfy this research gap, the present thesis aims at 1) measuring ICT effect upon the quality of writing; 2) describe ICT impact on the cognitive processes of translating and reviewing; 3) measure ICT impact on motivation to write. To this objective, we utilize a mixed methodology. On one hand, a quasi-experimental design allows for a comparison of technological writers to traditional writers; on the other, a qualitative approach provides access to the thoughts and perceptions of computer users. The three articles that constitute the heart of this thesis relate the results pertaining to the stated research objectives. In the first text, we measured the effects of word processing on the quality of writing. The statistical analysis of the dataset allowed us to observe an improvement in spelling, but not grammatical spelling. In comparison, students of the control group showed improvements in their texts’ logical coherence and grammatical orthography. The second article intends to shed light on these results. The impact of ICT on the cognitive processes of translating and reviewing is studied to that effect. This aspect, which is based on a qualitative approach, is largely based on video observation. First, are highlighted the many errors committed when word processing is used. Then, is underlined the poor use of spell checking tools, that oftentimes provide inappropriate diagnostics or that are simply ignored by users. However, group interviews have shown positive perceptions vis-à-vis ICT, despite their poor use. Indeed, they are considered motivating and their benefits, although recognized, do not seem to have an impact. The motivating factor is at the heart of the last article, which measures the impact of writing methods on the motivation to write. A quantitative analysis is used to that effect. The participants’ motivation was measured using a motivational scale. The statistical analysis of the dataset demonstrates that technological students are intrinsically motivated by ICT, whereas their peers of the control group are amotivated. In the concluding chapter, we put theses results in relation with one another so as to explain the impact of ICT on the writing process as a whole. Lastly, we hope to provide possible recommendations to practitioners and decision makers within the educational system.

Thesis (M.T.S.C.)--Miami University, Dept. of English, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 36).

Writing is one of the four skills that students learning a foreign language are supposed to acquire, and writing often has an important role in the language classroom. Furthermore, in the field of cultural and arts education, a process-oriented approach is considered essential for learning. However, even though we see an increased interest in emphasizing the writing process, in reality, what is often commented, discussed and graded is the final outcome - the product. Consequently, features of the writing process, like fluency, revisions, and pauses, are not considered. This thesis explores what information about the writing process might add to the picture. In this manner, the current study investigates the writing process of advanced Swedish EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners through keystroke logging programme. With the increased use of word processing tools, and not least with the development of keystroke logging tools, we now have the possibility to take also the details of the writing process into account. As Spelman Miller and Sullivan (2006:1) point out, “[a]s an observational tool, keystroke logging offers the opportunity to capture details of the activity of writing, not only for the purposes of the linguistic, textual and cognitive study of writing, but also for the broader applications concerning the development of language learning, literacy, and language pedagogy”. In the present study, a keystroke logging programme named Inputlog has been used, which allows researchers to get a better understanding of writing processes as well as cognitive processes during writing (Lindgren & Sullivan, 2002).

Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på hur lärarens skriftliga respons uppfattas av elever och hur de arbetar med den samt hur lärare tänker kring skriftlig respons. För att finna svar har vi valt att använda en kombination av en kvalitativ och en kvantitativ ansats. Undersökningen har genomförts i form av två fallstudier i två olika utbildningsmiljöer. Undersökningen består av sammanlagt sex elevintervjuer, två lärarintervjuer och 41 deltagande elever i en enkätundersökning. Båda uppsatsförfattarna gör var sin fallstudie som innebär att intervjua en lärare och tre elever vardera samt genomföra en enkätundersökning. Undersökningen visar att eleverna i respektive fallstudie uppfattar den skriftliga lärarresponsen som positiv. Majoriteten av eleverna i både Fallstudie 1 och 2 tycker att de utvecklas med hjälp av skriftlig respons. Resultatet visar också att eleverna i Fallstudie 2 har enklare för att förstå responsen till skillnad från eleverna i Fallstudie 1. Anledningen till detta kan vara att eleverna i Fallstudie 2 ständigt har en dialog med sin lärare när de bearbetar sina texter efter de skriftliga lärarkommentarerna. Detta saknar eleverna i Fallstudie 1 då de enbart bearbetar sin text efter de skriftliga lärarkommentarerna utanför lektionstid.

The present thesis analyzes the role of memory in the book O Tempo e o Vento considering it as a structuring tool in the narrative. The memory constitutes the novel playing a crucial role in the articulation between the chapters and also within them. Based on Paul Ricouer, it is understood that memory cannot be disassociated from oblivion, which presupposes shadowed zones and incompletion, elements that are strengthened in Erico Verissimo's writing. The trilogy approaches, literarily, a social memory that endures its dusk by narrating the path outlined throughout two thousand years of the Rio Grande do Sul history, the state's different hues, and its relationship with oblivion, its receivers and transmitters. Furthermore, by means of the metafictional expedient, the trilogy focuses on the comings and goings of memory in relation to the writing process. / A presente tese analisa a memória em O Tempo e o Vento, considerando-a como estruturante na narrativa. Ela é constituidora do romance, desempenhando função articuladora entre os capítulos e no interior deles. Entendemos, a partir de Paul Ricoeur, principalmente, que a memória não se dissocia do esquecimento, pressupondo zonas de sombra e incompletude, elementos potencializados no texto de Erico Verissimo. A trilogia trata literariamente uma memória social que vive seu crepúsculo. Ao fazê-lo, narra seu percurso ao longo de duzentos anos da história do Rio Grande do Sul, seus diferentes matizes, conforme sua relação com o esquecimento, seus depositários e transmissores. Além disso, através do expediente metaficional, tematiza os encontros e desencontros da memória na sua relação com o processo de escritura.

I engelskämnets centrala innehåll och kunskapskrav ställs det krav på att eleverna i slutet avårskurs 6 ska kunna skriva olika typer av texter. Samtidigt identifieras skrivandet som enmöjliggörande faktor för utvecklingen av ett andraspråk. Syftet med den här studien var att fåkunskap om hur elever i årskurs 6 stöds i skrivandet av olika texttyper på engelska utifrånläroboken och lärarens undervisning, vilket har skett genom en kombinerad metod avläroboksanalyser och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att eleverna främst skrevberättande- och beskrivande texter. I läroböckerna gavs eleverna stöd genom att läsa ellerlyssna på texter kopplat till ämnet, introducera nyckelbegrepp, studera exempeltextersutformning och samtala om ämnet. För att stödja elevernas skrivande erbjöd lärarna tydligtavgränsade skrivuppgifter och gav återkoppling. Lärarna uppgav att de använde läroboken menatt de valde bland uppgifterna och tog de som ansågs passande samt att nivåskillnader mellanelever skapade svårigheter i skrivundervisningen. / The English curriculum has requirements for writing different kinds of texts in English in year6. The act of writing can also be a way to develop a second language. The purpose with thisstudy has therefore been to examine how English textbooks and teachers are working to supportpupils in year 6 in their writing of different kinds of texts. This has been done through acombination of content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The result showed that thepupils mainly wrote narrative- and describing texts. The textbooks gave the pupils support intheir writing through the work of reading texts connected to the subject, introducing keywords,studying texts as examples and through conversations about the subject. The teachers wereusing the textbooks by choosing exercises that were thought to be relevant. Further, theyoffered the pupils feedback on their texts and suggested that aspects of level differencesbetween the pupils’ knowledge affected the teaching.

PhD (English) / Department of English

No description available.