CCCC 2005: ReviewReview: H.39 The Portraits of Composition Study of Writing: Context of the Study; and Research Design Features and Characteristics Kathleen Blake Yancey began by explaining that Bedford/St. Martins sponsored the study and outlined the research project consisting of survey, focus interviews document analysis and web site analysis. She outlined the features of the survey using and defining the following key words: balance, report (with cautions of self-reporting), description and evaluation, construct, relationship and convergence. One research goal was to create a survey of teachers that does more than a typical survey might. The survey inquires about how teachers construct themselves as writers, tutors, learners, and writers. Blake asserted that her questions would establish a good way of seeing respondents’ professional identities. Next, the survey dealt with curricular perceptions such as whether teachers teach in the modes, what texts are used, etc. Yancey went on to explain the survey would help define priorities in pedagogy. She felt this was trickier than some of the other terms. Respondents had to gauge their performance through both pattern and difference among 15 categories of pedagogical practices. Finally, the survey inquired about the respondents’ use of classroom technology and how teachers anticipate using it in the future. She found that this category produced dialogic responses with teachers seeing themselves as more clearly collaborating with students. Yancey asserted the study would allow her team to analyze changing practices among 1800 instructors. She explained that she was using a “convenience sampling,” not necessarily a representative sample. She also delimited the study by Monday morning quarterbacking some of the confusion with questions on the survey. Michael Neal presented his part of “Portraits of Composition” Composing Identities.” He read his paper at a fast clip (MLA style), and it is always hard to follow such a powerful speaker as Yancey. Nevertheless, Neal made it clear that there are many identities in the field and he is not trying to come to an essential identity. The first thing Neal discussed closely was gender and noted that composition may be considered a “feminist discipline.” More than 70% of the respondents are female. However, when the respondents are analyzed according to their institutions, the differences between male and female responses less significant. After gender, Neal discussed rank and status within institutions. They found a relatively even distribution of teachers at all levels. Next, Neal analyzed years teaching vs. years teaching composition. He found that FY composition plays a major role in our teaching regardless of rank. Neal was interested in comparing educational discipline vs. principle teaching discipline, as well as how we share common approaches to teaching composition. Academic writing and argument were overwhelming the focus of most teachers, although surveying alternative discourse, cognitive, critical pedagogy, cultural studies, digital composition, expressivist, traditional modes, social epistemic and other approaches helped Neal see the portrait of composition as heterogenous and diverse voices are slowly emerging. Summer Smith Taylor presented “Patterns in Assessment.” She defines the assessment process as reaching beyond grades to include peer review, evaluation of sample texts, self assessment, revision, and responses from faculty. The survey found that 94% of the instructors use peer review, and many use electronic peer review. 39% of the respondents ranked revision as part of the top three elements of their pedagogy and 85% require it in their teaching. Nearly all respondents spend between 15-35 minutes grading papers, and males tend to spend less time than females responding to writing. The survey found an average of 11 hours of faculty time responding to student work per week. 50% respond to student writing using print and the other 50% occasionally, mostly and always respond to student writing online. Most composition teachers average 2-3 sections of composition per term. An average of 12 graded papers per term and 23 informal assignments per term was found in the survey. The survey showed that both faculty and students spend a great deal of learning time on response to writing. Taylor concluded by asking “Is the assessment in fy classes effective?” Teddi Fishman began her part of the presentation quoting Will Durant: “Education is the progressive discover of our ignorance” She focused on the methods of teaching writing. 88% of the teachers surveyed teach informative, analytical writing. When asked about real world connections in the class writing, only about half of the respondents replied in the affirmative. Although the use of portfolios was widespread, on 7.5% reported using digital portfolios. Although 44% ask students to read visual texts, only 23% ask students to use visual texts in their writing. Web research was the primary use of digital technology in classes, though over 50% use no digital technology in their classes. Morgan Gresham was unable to attend so Fishman stood up to present some of Gresham’s finding. However, the fast pace of reading papers and mixed up slides got a bit confusing. Fishman emphasized some positive benefits of using technology found in the survey, including the interesting insight that text messaging with cell phones induces concise, audience directed writing. Fishman sees our field moving more toward using visual texts because that is what students will be doing more as part of their writing in the future. Yancey’s closing discussed the points that composition is process-based beyond what students experience before college, and that we are still a print-based field but moving more toward screen based realities. |
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