Education Commons^™

Using Visual Imagery To Enhance Student Writing, Diana Jones, Rachelle Redd

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: What is the effect of the Photoresponse assignment on student writing?

Method & Data Studied: We collected data from students enrolled in the HSP 302 Introduction to Human Services course during winter and spring quarters 2011. On the first day of class students were asked to respond, in writing, to the question “what inspired you to be a human service professional?” Over the course of the next four weeks, students were further asked to respond to a series of questions by taking a photograph meant to capture their answer to a question. Students then prepared a brief narrative …

The Effect Of Student Peer Response And Assessment On The Proficiency Of Writing Traits At The College Level, Korry Harvey, Misa Haring

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: How does student peer response and assessment impact the writing traits of college students?

Method: The study was designed to measure changes in student writing traits following a process of peer response. Ninety-one students participated in the project, each submitting two versions of a 4-6 page position paper—an initial draft and then a final version of the paper following peer review and assessment. In addition to written comments from readers, five different writing traits were rated on a scale of 1-4 for each draft: conventions, organizational structure, rhetorical style, critical assessment, and substantiation. These ratings were then compared …

The Narrating Subject: Student Reflection On Witness Narrative, Kathleen Zuanich Young, Francesca Leaf

Writing Research Fellows

Research Question: Can reflective writing capture the process of thinking when students read or listen to a first person narrative involving a Holocaust Survivor, a combat veteran, a former child soldier, clinical depression, and post-traumatic stress? Is the cognitive/affective capacity made visible as the student becomes a narrating subject his or her self in response to trauma and recovery narrative?