Abstract

This qualitative study examined the transitions that writers make when moving from academic to professional discourse communities. Subjects were six university seniors enrolled in a special “writing internship course” in which they discussed and analyzed the writing they were doing in 12-week professional internships at corporations, small businesses, and public service agencies in a major metropolitan area. Participant-observer and case-study data included drafts and final copies of all writing that the interns produced on the job (including texts and suggested revisions by other employees), an ethnographic log of data and speculations arising from the group discussions, written course journals from each intern, transcriptions of taped, discourse-based and general interviews with the interns, and a final 15-page retrospective analysis of each intern's writing on the job. Results showed a remarkably consistent pattern of expectation, frustration, and accommodation as the interns adjusted to their new writing communities. The results have important implications for the lateral and vertical transfer of writing skills across different communicative contexts.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1990-04-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088390007002002
Open Access
Closed
Topics

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (41)

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  2. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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  22. Technical Communication Quarterly
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  25. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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  27. Technical Communication Quarterly
  28. Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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Cites in this index (15)

  1. Written Communication
  2. Written Communication
  3. Research in the Teaching of English
  4. Written Communication
  5. Written Communication
Show all 15 →
  1. Written Communication
  2. Rhetoric Review
  3. Written Communication
  4. Written Communication
  5. Written Communication
  6. Research in the Teaching of English
  7. Written Communication
  8. Written Communication
  9. Research in the Teaching of English
  10. Research in the Teaching of English
Also cites 9 works outside this index ↓
  1. 10.2307/1314994
    Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association  
  2. 10.1177/004839318101100305
  3. 10.2307/377264
  4. 10.2307/357434
  5. 10.1177/105065198700100205
  6. 10.2307/357716
  7. 10.1080/00221546.1979.11778079
  8. 10.2307/356369
  9. 10.2307/357405
CrossRef global citation count: 95 View in citation network →