This study attempted to answer seven questions regarding how department heads in selected Florida high schools (9-12) approach the teaching of composition. The questions dealt with: (1) objectives of writing, (2) concepts of writing, (3) types of textbooks used, (4) supplementary materials used, (5) writing programs available, (6) successful writing programs, and (7) unsuccessful writing programs. The investigator was interested in determining if such characteristics as state expenditure in the school district, degrees held, and years of experience affect the way department heads teach composition. / In order to acquire the necessary data, the investigator used two questionnaires which were sent to 71 department heads in 71 high schools located in 19 counties selected by the stratified method. When the questionnaires were returned, they were analyzed according to mean, median, or percentages. / Findings. The investigator was able to detect a trend in the responses from the more experienced department heads who tended to be more divergent and more successful in their efforts to teach writing. Other findings include: (1) Clear communication was top priority for teaching writing; (2) The majority of the department heads reported extensive use of Warriner's English Grammar and Composition; (3) Audio-visuals were used widely; (4) Although writing was widely reported as an integrated part of the total language arts programs, several schools in the surveys cited specific writing programs such as creative writing, journalism, writing laboratory, composition, and college preparatory. Successful Writing methods. (5) Use of students' personal experiences; (6) Careful teacher evaluation; (7) Frequency of writing; (8) Pre-writing; Unsuccessful Writing Methods. (9) The holistic approach; (10) Increasing syntactic growth; (11) Teaching grammar. / Conclusions. Based on available data, state expenditure did not play a significant role regarding how writing is taught. Department heads with masters' degrees and more than 10 years' experience tended to be more divergent in their approaches to teaching writing than did the less experienced ones. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0357. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74747 |
| Contributors | STALLWORTH, FRANCES H., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 132 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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