Journal of Business and Technical Communication Apr 2009

Practitioner Research Instruction: A Neglected Curricular Area in Technical Communication Undergraduate Programs

Rachel Spilka University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Abstract

Most technical communication practitioners conduct research throughout their careers. Yet, a survey of the Web sites of 114 undergraduate technical communication programs between September 2006 and April 2007 revealed that 65% (about two thirds) of these programs are providing minimal or no exposure to research instruction and therefore are not sufficiently preparing students to handle the types of research they will encounter in their upcoming careers. Given the disconnect between the centrality of research in the work that technical communicators do and the low presence of research instruction at the undergraduate level, academics need to look for ways to overcome institutional and other constraints in order to give research training greater priority in their undergraduate programs.

Journal
Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Published
2009-04-01
DOI
10.1177/1050651908328882
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
teacher development technical communication
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (10)

  1. Gunning (2025)
    How Do Nonprofit Proposal Writers Learn Their Jobs? Results of a Nationwide Sur…
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. Doan (2021)
    Teaching Workplace Genre Ecologies and Pedagogical Goals Through Résumés and Co…
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  3. Watts (2021)
    Rethinking Graduate School Research Genres: Communicating With Industry, Writin…
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  4. Pihlaja et al. (2020)
    Navigating Messy Research Methods and Mentoring Practices at a Bilingual Resear…
    Technical Communication Quarterly
  5. Meloncon et al. (2019)
    Empirical Research in Technical and Professional Communication: A 5-Year Examin…
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  1. Lawrence et al. (2019)
    Rhetorics of Proposal Writing: Lessons for Pedagogy in Research and Real-World …
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  2. St.Amant et al. (2016)
    Addressing the Incommensurable: A Research-Based Perspective for Considering Is…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  3. Dusenberry et al. (2015)
    Filter. Remix. Make.: Cultivating Adaptability Through Multimodality
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  4. Ross (2014)
    Defining “Research”: Undergraduate Perceptions of Research in a Technical Commu…
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  5. Ford et al. (2011)
    Emphasizing Research (Further) in Undergraduate Technical Communication Curricu…
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References (17) · 9 in this index

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    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
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    Does the Curriculum Fit the Career? Some Conclusions from a Survey of Graduates…
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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CrossRef global citation count: 16 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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