Written Communication Oct 2006

Writing Into the 21st Century: An Overview of Research on Writing, 1999 to 2004

Mary M. Juzwik Michigan State University ; Svjetlana Curcic Michigan State University ; Kimberly Wolbers Michigan State University ; Kathleen D. Moxley Michigan State University ; Lisa M. Dimling Michigan State University ; Rebecca K. Shankland Michigan State University

Abstract

This study charts the terrain of research on writing during the 6-year period from 1999 to 2004, asking “What are current trends and foci in research on writing?” In examining a cross-section of writing research, the authors focus on four issues: (a) What are the general problems being investigated by contemporary writing researchers? Which of the various problems dominate recent writing research, and which are not as prominent? (b) What population age groups are prominent in recent writing research? (c) What is the relationship between population age groups and problems under investigation? and (d) What methodologies are being used in research on writing? Based on a body of refereed journal articles ( n = 1,502) reporting studies about writing and composition instruction that were located using three databases, the authors characterize various lines of inquiry currently undertaken. Social context and writing practices, bi- or multi-lingualism and writing, and writing instruction are the most actively studied problems during this period, whereas writing and technologies, writing assessment and evaluation, and relationships among literacy modalities are the least studied problems. Undergraduate, adult, and other postsecondary populations are the most prominently studied population age group, whereas preschool-aged children and middle and high school students are least studied. Research on instruction within the preschool through 12th grade (P-12) age group is prominent, whereas research on genre, assessment, and bi- or multilingualism is scarce within this population. The majority of articles employ interpretive methods. This indicator of current writing research should be useful to researchers, policymakers, and funding agencies, as well as to writing teachers and teacher educators.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
2006-10-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088306291619
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
Closed
Topics
genre theory first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development assessment literacy studies
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (12)

  1. Alexander et al. (2023)
    Confronting the Challenges of Undergraduates’ Argumentation Writing in a “Learn…
    Written Communication
  2. Lam et al. (2023)
    An Introduction to Quasi-Experimental Research for Technical and Professional C…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  3. Eckstein et al. (2022)
    How Does the Language Control of L1 and L2 Writers Develop Over Time in First-Y…
    Written Communication
  4. Skar et al. (2022)
    Introduction to the Special Issue on writing research in Scandinavia
    Writing and Pedagogy
  5. Halasek et al. (2022)
    The Methods Course as Access Point
    Pedagogy
Show all 12 →
  1. Madden et al. (2021)
    Untangling Methodological Commitments in Writing Research: Using Collaborative …
    Written Communication
  2. LaFrance et al. (2021)
    Fingerprinting Feminist Methodologies/Methods: An Analysis of Empirical Researc…
    College Composition and Communication
  3. Secovnie et al. (2019)
    Instructional Note: Scaffolding a Librarian into Your Course: An Assessment of …
    Teaching English in the Two-Year College
  4. Boettger et al. (2013)
    An Overview of Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Research in Technical Commun…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  5. Milliano et al. (2012)
    Patterns of Cognitive Self-Regulation of Adolescent Struggling Writers
    Written Communication
  6. Grabill et al. (2012)
    Messy Rhetoric: Identity Performance as Rhetorical Agency in Online Public Forums
    Rhetoric Society Quarterly
  7. Lillis (2008)
    Ethnography as Method, Methodology, and “Deep Theorizing”: Closing the Gap Betw…
    Written Communication

References (36) · 6 in this index

  1. Applebee, A. (1974)
    Tradition and reform in the teaching of English: A history
  2. Bazerman, C.
    Handbook of writing research
     ↗
  3. 10.1017/CBO9780511810237
     ↗
  4. 10.2307/4140731
     ↗
  5. Brandt (2005)
    Writing for a Living: Literacy and the Knowledge Economy
    Written Communication
Show all 36 →
  1. Cope, B.
    The powers of literacy: A genre approach to teaching writing
  2. DeVoss et al. (2005)
    Infrastructure and Composing: The When of New-Media Writing
    College Composition and Communication
  3. 10.2307/357930
     ↗
  4. Dyson, A. H. (1986)
    Research in the Teaching of English
  5. Dyson (1986)
    Transitions and Tensions: Interrelationships between the Drawing, Talking, and …
    Research in the Teaching of English
  6. Dyson, A. H. (1993)
    Social worlds of children learning to write in an urban primary school
  7. Dyson, A. H. (1997)
    Writing superheroes: Contemporary childhood, popular culture, and classroom literacy
  8. Dyson, A. H. (2003)
    The brothers and sisters learn to write: Popular literacies in childhood and school cultures
  9. Dyson (2004)
    At Last: Diversity as a “Handful”: Toward Retheorizing the Basics
    Research in the Teaching of English
  10. Dyson, A. H. (2003)
    Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts
  11. Fitzgerald, J. (2006)
    Handbook of writing research
  12. Graham, S. (2006)
    Handbook of writing research
  13. Haas, C. (1996)
    Writing technology: Studies in the materiality of literacy
  14. Haswell (2005)
    NCTE/CCCC’s Recent War on Scholarship
    Written Communication
  15. Hayes, J. R. (1996)
    The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences, and applications
  16. Hill, C. (2001)
    Children and reading tests
  17. 10.1086/443789
     ↗
  18. Hillocks, G., Jr. (1986)
    Research on written composition: New directions for teaching
  19. Hillocks, G. (2002)
    The testing trap: How state writing assessments control learning
  20. MacArthur, C. A. (2006)
    Handbook of writing research
  21. National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges (2003)
    The neglected R: The need for a writing revolution
  22. 10.17763/haer.66.1.17370n67v22j160u
     ↗
  23. Nystrand, M. (2006)
    Handbook of writing research
  24. Ohmann, R. (1996)
    English in America: A radical view of the profession
  25. Singer, B. D. (2004)
    Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders
  26. Smagorinsky, P. (2006)
    Research on composition: Multiple perspectives on two decades of change
  27. Sperling, M. (2001)
    Handbook of research on teaching
  28. Strauss, A. (1998)
    Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory
  29. U.S. Department of Education (2005)
    Scientifically based evaluation methods
  30. VALDÉS (1992)
    Bilingual Minorities and Language Issues in Writing: Toward Professionwide Resp…
    Written Communication
  31. Wong, B. Y. L. (2004)
    Handbook of language and literacy: Development and disorders
CrossRef global citation count: 57 View in citation network → Build reading path →

Related Articles

  1. Pedagogy Jan 2022
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory discourse analysis african american rhetorics decolonial rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing writing across the curriculum graduate education teacher development argument collaborative writing transfer assessment portfolios writing program administration writing centers peer tutoring technical communication professional writing archival research digital rhetoric social media grammar and mechanics literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies public rhetoric community literacy literary studies editorial matter
  2. Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2017
    Assessing Multimodal Literacy in the Online Technical Communication Classroom ↗
    Tiffany Bourelle; Andrew Bourelle; Stephanie Spong; Brian Hendrickson
    genre theory first-year composition writing pedagogy teacher development assessment portfolios technical communication multimodality literacy studies
  3. Pedagogy Oct 2025
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism genre theory cultural rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy advanced composition creative writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development technical communication professional writing labor and working conditions archival research multimodality artificial intelligence literacy studies race and writing gender and writing disability studies literary studies editorial matter
  4. Pedagogy Oct 2024
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy basic writing writing across the curriculum graduate education two-year college service learning teacher development revision argument collaborative writing assessment writing program administration multimodality multilingual writers literacy studies race and writing disability studies community literacy editorial matter
  5. Pedagogy Apr 2024
    Contributors ↗
    modern rhetorical theory rhetorical criticism feminist rhetorics first-year composition writing pedagogy creative writing teacher development collaborative writing assessment technical communication professional writing grammar and mechanics literacy studies gender and writing literary studies book reviews editorial matter