This article proposes a novel approach to the investigation of student academic writing. It applies theories of metacognition and self-regulated learning to understand how beginning academic writers develop the ability to participate in the communicative practices of academic written communication and develop rhetorical consciousness. The study…

This article examines writing conference discourse in one English as a Second Language (ESL) basic composition course. The study is based on a 25,000-word corpus of 10 writing conference interactions between the instructor and seven students. Through a microlevel analysis, the authors demonstrate how and to what degree the writing conference can…

Investigates the discourse practices of the "affiliated professions" of software engineering design. Compares lists of design issues generated by students in computer science and computer communication to lists produced by experts associated with software engineering and by students entering an unaffiliated profession. Suggests that affiliated…

Describes a study on college level remediation, examining how students classified as remedial are cognitively and socially defined. Analyzes a student's writing sample in the context of her past school experiences, future goals, and attitudes towards literacy. (MM)

Examines the transitions that writers (college seniors enrolled in a 12-week corporate internship program) make when moving from academic to professional discourse communities. Reports a consistent pattern of expectation, frustration, and accommodation as writers adjust to their new writing communities. (MM)

Traces the emergence of authorship in a beginning college writing classroom through two case examples. Finds that although the instructor tried to foster a sense of engagement and commitment, the technical difficulty of the task, students' perceptions of their peers' interests, and a legacy of schooling and culture were equally important concerns…

Draws on the perceptions and experiences of upper-division students enrolled in writing-intensive (WI) classes in their majors at a large state university. Discusses findings as they relate to the ideologies of writing across the curriculum and writing in the disciplines. Suggests greater attention to a field's inquiry methods and strategies for…

Examines the problems that four international graduate students of various linguistic and cultural backgrounds encountered in the process of adapting to the requirements of discipline-specific written discourses during their first year of studies in the United States. Suggests that international students need assistance to adjust more easily to…

Explores ethnic and gender differences in classroom conversational styles by comparing student involvement in face-to-face and computer-mediated discussions. Finds that white males participated more frequently than other groups in the face-to-face setting, and white women benefited more from computer-mediated communication. Notes Hispanic women…

Presents a case study of an ESL (English-as-a-Second-Language) student's development of academic writing skills in two sequential English for academic purposes (EAP) courses. Describes how the student faced conflicts about audience, purpose, and content knowledge. Questions the validity of EAP courses, especially in terms of the transferability of…