Theories of composition that utilize heuristic or problem-solving procedures are explicated and compared in an effort to determine what can logically be expected from the application of a particular heuristic during the composing process. All of the theories chosen for evaluation make, or have made for them, explicit epistemological claims; the theorists make assumptions about the nature, source, and criterion of knowledge, and they tend to make their theories of composition a direct reflection of their epistemological stances. As the heuristic is the problem-solving strategy in the theory, the epistemology is the problem statement: it specifies what the theorist takes to be the unknown element in the universe of discourse. It is a major contention of this study that the application of a metatheory--such as that proposed by Janice Lauer--to evaluate and compare the theories is hampered by a failure to understand this fundamental relationship. Thus, a major aim of this study is to provide capsule analyses of theories on a number of salient points: to identify the controlling metaphor that underlies each theory, to specify the heuristic employed by the theory, to determine the nature of truth assumed by the theorist and the extent to which adherence to truth is a basic concern of the theory; this leads to the necessary understanding of the purpose of discourse as expressed in each theory and its focus in the universe of discourse; the goal of pedagogy specified by the theory and the type of product presumed to result from instruction are likewise useful indicators of the scope of a theory; assumptions made about the writer are directly reflected in the role of invention in the theories; the treatment of arrangement and style, though often only tangential concerns for heuristic theorists, are also considered. / The study begins with a description of the origins of the traditional course and suggests that the unresolved epistemological conflict at the foundation of the "current-traditional" composition paradigm has had a continuing negative effect on composition theory. The classical topics remain the most consistent and complete of the rhetorical heuristics available, although a failure to understand their function as a probe for the discovery of arguments and not of facts can seriously impair their efficiency. The Pre-Writing project, extending the romantic conception of the creative artist to include student writers, utilizes analogy as the primary heuristic technique but restricts its scope to the discovery of subjective truth. The behavioral pedagogy of Robert Zoellner shifts attention from the internal and hence inaccessible activities of the composer to external performance. Zoellner proposes to shape the behavior of the student "talker" by reinforcing intermediate attainment of the desired scribal performance. Kenneth Burke's pentad, like the classical topics, is frequently misconstrued as an information retrieval probe when adaptors fail to understand the terministic basis of his epistemology. As a theory of composition, tagmemics is derived from the linguistic theory of Kenneth Pike, finding its epistemological base in the principle of indeterminacy and utilizing the terms of particle, wave, and field as the basis for the heuristic. Despite the favorable attention given to tagmemics, some ambiguity remains in the theory. The conceptual theory of Frank D'Angelo takes as its controlling metaphor the argument from design for the existence of God. He suggests that "one grand design" underlies the universe and that form consciousness is the key to composition instruction. / While none of the theories is a perfect model of pedagogy, heuristics can be useful if attention is paid to problem-stating as well as problem-solving. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4375. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74324 |
| Contributors | UNDERWOOD, VIRGINIA ALLEN., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 357 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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