MAKING CONNECTIONS: UNDERSTANDING HOW BASIC WRITERS VIEW THEMSELVES AS ACADEMIC WRITERS

This research explores how basic writing students in Texas Christian Universitys Introduction to Critical Writing class viewed themselves as academic writers and how that view changed from the beginning of a semester until the end. Conducted in the fall of 2005 and compiled during the spring of 2006...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Mann, Travis
Other Authors: Carrie Leverenz
Format: Others
Language:en
Published: Texas Christian University 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-05022006-120057/
Description
Summary:This research explores how basic writing students in Texas Christian Universitys Introduction to Critical Writing class viewed themselves as academic writers and how that view changed from the beginning of a semester until the end. Conducted in the fall of 2005 and compiled during the spring of 2006, this work attempts to understand factors that influence a students formation of identity as a writer by using the idea of a community that forms within a classroom as a lens to frame the data. By looking at the students through the lens of a community, issues of educational history, confidence, race, culture, and values became quickly apparent as factors that strongly impacted how students view themselves as writers within a classroom. The studys methodology included pre- and post-questionnaires, semester-long class observations, the analysis of students drafts and final products, and one-on-one interviews with students and the instructor.