Describes two chief alternative models of English instruction, critical theory, and constructivism or naturalistic inquiry. Discusses the functions of genre in disciplinary communities. Argues that naturalistic inquiry does not constitute a comprehensive corrective to the legacy of positivism. (HB)

Analyzes Egon Guba's claims about what empirical research is and about the models that have guided it. Questions Guba's claims that critics have found flaws in the models that have guided empirical research. Considers how these conclusions might affect instruction in empirical research. (HB)

Discusses the ongoing dialogs concerning paradigm shifts in education, especially with regard to English instruction. Describes one teacher's experiences with the issue of paradigm shift in the form of a blues song. Shows how teachers can move beyond the questions of paradigms. (HB)

Discusses how the active meaning-making process of 10 sixth-grade students was reflected in the written responses in literature journals. Analyzes the responses to determine response styles. Suggests how complex response to literature is for elementary and middle school students. (HB)

Reports on the findings of a study that examined the writing behavior of eight fifth graders as they composed original mathematics story problems. Reveals strategies and techniques employed by students to accomplish this task. Analyzes student story-problem writing behavior. (HB)

Studies the writing processes of noncomposition students, particularly the patterns of feedback and revision in four writing-across-the-curriculum courses. Analyzes the first and final drafts of 20 students. Highlights several issues for further research. (HB)

Provides a selected, annotated bibliography of research (published between 1990 and 1993) in the teaching of English. Presents the annotations under the broad categories of curriculum, language, literature, teacher education, and writing. (HB)

Examines the functions of outlining for 122 students in 4 undergraduate classes, each in a different discipline. Finds that outlining functions varied widely according to the assignment and the teacher's guidance. Identifies five functions of outlining. Suggests the benefits of examining a specific writing strategy rather than concentrating only…

Reviews a study examining the influence of rhetorical specification in writing prompts on the writing quality of 7th-, 9th-, and 11th-grade students, and college freshmen. Analyzes the main and interactive effects of topic, purpose, and audience on writing quality. Indicates that students use different kinds of rhetorical information at different…

Presents the responses of several well-known scholars--David Bloome, Joanne M. Golden, Carol D. Lee, Susan Hynds, Michael Pressley, and Timothy Shanahan--to Alan C. Purves's criticism of educational research in the English language arts for its redundancy, its staleness, its reliance on jargon and labels, and its flawed methodology. (TB)

Explains that despite recent objections to standardized testing, a repeated call for national standards continues, which, in turn, has given rise to the (apparently fictional) Humane Assessment Coalition (HAC). Uses subtle satire to outline the HAC's theoretical posture and presents a hands-on case study that demonstrates the organization's…

Describes some of the primary features of educational criticism, an arts-based approach to qualitative inquiry. Examines the aims of this approach and discusses four dimensions of educational criticism: descriptive, interpretative, normative, and thematic. Addresses questions of rigor and identifies three criteria (consensual validation,…

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. Argues that research in education has become a dead end. Agrees in the main with the article, but finds its view of criticism somewhat limited. Discusses the classroom itself as hypertext. (SR)

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. Argues that a "critical" approach to education should not be justified on an ambiguous relationship to art but that educational criticism is needed because meaningful descriptions are needed of what happens when teaching…

Responds to an article in the same issue of this journal about educational criticism as a form of qualitative inquiry. Invites the authors to address questions regarding the differences in purpose and commitments between art and science and the definition of educational criticism as a form of qualitative research. (SR)