Composition Studies, Professional Writing and Empirical Research: A Skeptical View

Dana Lynn Driscoll Purdue University West Lafayette

Abstract

This article builds upon the work of Richard Haswell's “NCTE/CCCC's Recent War on Scholarship” by providing an alternative framework for empirical inquiry based on principles of skepticism. It examines the literature relating to empirical research and argues that one of the issues at hand is the perceived link of empirical research to positivism, which clashes with the dominant social constructivist paradigm. It draws upon classical rhetoric and the work of radial empiricist William James to formulate an alternative framework for empirical research based on skeptical principles.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2009-04-01
DOI
10.2190/tw.39.2.e
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Cited by in this index (1)

  1. College Composition and Communication

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