Doctoral Dissertations in Technical Writing: An Annotated Bibliography

Phil Murdock Tidewater Community College

Abstract

This bibliography of thirty dissertations summarizes doctoral research in technical writing since 1975. It is intended as the first step in an on-going abstracting service to be performed by the ERIC system. The dissertations range widely, from theoretical pronouncements to classroom how-to's. The collection provides an overview of the kinds of research being done and the institutions sponsoring it.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1986-01-01
DOI
10.2190/re95-lfb5-d2jb-y9q3
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Technical Communication Quarterly

References (76)

  1. Bechtel Judith A. Blackburn, The Composing Processes of Six Male CoIlege Freshmen Enrolled in Technical Progr…
  2. Identifies traits of better writers enrolled in technical programs. Traits include the ability to separate dr…
  3. Binkley Marilyn Rothman, A Descriptive and Comparative Study of Cohesive Structure in Text Materials from Dif…
  4. Uses Halliday and Hasan's system of cohesion analysis to examine textbooks in physics, biology, economics, po…
  5. Brockmann Robert JohnJr., Integrating the Academic World of Technical Communications with the Commercial Worl…
Show all 76 →
  1. Suggests means for involving business and industry in the teaching of technical communications. Discusses mai…
  2. Chatterjee Suchindran Shiladitya, Technical Writing Curricula and Teaching Methods: A Review of the Literatur…
  3. Reviews some of the issues of technical writing instruction, need, sequence, and evaluation. Attempts a defin…
  4. Crick Randal Carter, A Technical Communication Procedure to Produce Attitude Change Through the Use of Scient…
  5. Reports results of a study that used a metric multidimensional scaling program to generate theoretically effe…
  6. Dixon Thomas Clifford, Communication and Perceived Performance in Organizations: A Network Analysis. Ph.D. Re…
  7. Analyzes organizational communication from psychological, sociological and social psychological perspectives.
  8. Duszynski Timothy Joseph, Writing Skills in Community College Vocational-Technical Programs: A Modified Delph…
  9. Identifies important writing skills for vocational-technical students. Survey respondents suggested that corr…
  10. Easom Roger D., A Study to Determine Essential Competencies for Technical Writing Students in the Two-Year Co…
  11. Identifies competencies deemed important for technical writing students in two-year colleges. Employer/gradua…
  12. Gasarch Pearl, The Design and Evaluation of a Course in Technical/Occupational Writing for Two-Year College S…
  13. Reports design and testing of a technical writing course for two-year college students who had finished Fresh…
  14. Geilker Neita Frohmuth, A Comparison of Professionals' Responses to Selected Errors of Usage and Items of Dis…
  15. Surveyed attorneys, engineers, personnel workers and English teachers to determine attitude to selected usage…
  16. Hamlin Donna Marie, Organizational Audits: An Investigation into the Use of Fractionation Scales to Measure C…
  17. Reports reliable results from the use of fractionation scaling to measure organizational communication. Inclu…
  18. Harkins Craig, The Multi-Image User: A Diffusion of Innovation investigation Into the Adoption and Use of Mul…
  19. Reports a study of multi-image communication. Surveys of professional communicators suggest that 1) adoption …
  20. Held Julie Ann Stusrud, Exploration of Cognitive Styles Among Skilled and Unskilled Writers in a Technical Wr…
  21. Discusses a study of cognitive styles among technical writing students. Learning styles, determined by the My…
  22. Herrington Anne Jeanette, Writing in Academic Settings: A Study of the Rhetorical Contexts for Writing in Two…
  23. Studied writing in a laboratory class and a process design class. Found that student and teachers perceived t…
  24. Hertz Vivienne Lucas, Cognitive-Field Implications for the Teaching of Technical Writing to Non-Traditional S…
  25. Reports development of technical writing instruction based on cognitive-field theory. Concludes that 1) use o…
  26. Hopkins Robert Morris, Popular Scientific Discourse: A Rhetorical Model for Teaching Writing and Reading. Ph.…
  27. Examines at the sentence, inter-sentence, and supra-sentence level structures that are common to popular scie…
  28. Howell James Dale, An Identification of the Competencies in English Needed by Vocational Students in the Comm…
  29. In a survey of administrators, vocational teachers, English teachers, and trade professionals, found that ver…
  30. Hull Leon ClintonJr., Beyond Readability: Measuring the Difficulty of Technical Writing. Ph.D. Rensselaer Pol…
  31. Proposes and offers statistical validation for a revised readability formula. The formula has several advanta…
  32. Ilfeld Ellen Margaret, Designing a Master of Arts Program in Professional Writing for Employed Adults. A.D. T…
  33. Describes an alternative MA level professional writing program designed for employed adults. Discusses teachi…
  34. Jordan Mary Katherine, The Effects of Cooperative Peer Review on College Students Enrolled in Required Advanc…
  35. Reports effects of cooperative peer review on college students enrolled in required advanced technical writin…
  36. Kapitula Joanne Elizabeth, An Intertypical Strategy Study of Organizational Communication Structures. Ph.D. R…
  37. Finds support for the hypothesis that effectiveness in meeting an organization's goals is dependent on a comm…
  38. Kasperson Conrad John, An Exploratory Analysis of Information Use by Innovative, Productive, and Non-Producti…
  39. In a study of sixty scientists, found that innovative scientists exposed themselves more widely to subject ma…
  40. Kleid Naomi Ann, Factors Affecting the Usefulness of Flowcharts and Other Formats for Computer Programs. Ph.D…
  41. Compares three computer flowchart formats and assesses their usefulness in light of information, communicatio…
  42. Lewis Elaine Mary, An Effectiveness Measure for Visual Communication Media: Toward Definition of Visual Princ…
  43. Suggests that standards for the quality of visual media can be defined through mathematical modeling. Draws o…
  44. Lutz Jean Ann, A Study of Professional and Experienced Writers Revising and Editing at the Computer and with …
  45. Found that revisers and editors at a word processor work differently than those who work with pen and paper a…
  46. Miller Carolyn Rae, Environmental Impact Statements and Rhetorical Genres: An Application of Rhetorical Theor…
  47. Examines Environmental Impact Statements as rhetorical genre, finding that as a group they lack the coherence…
  48. Myers Mildred Sochatoff, Written Communication at the Managerial and Professional/Technical Levels: A Case St…
  49. Examines differences between writing done at managerial and technical/professional levels. Finds that manager…
  50. Nawarat Pariya, Differences Between Teaching Methods and Materials Used by English Teachers with Vocational a…
  51. Found that self-paced programmed texts were useful in teaching grammatical usage to vocational and non-vocati…
  52. Nicholas Susan Kehoe, A Video Observational Study of the Writing Process of College Students in a Non-Academi…
  53. Reports protocol study of students required to draft written solutions to non-academic situations. Found that…
  54. Odham Elizabeth Williams, Write it From this Angle: An Individualized Approach to Report-Writing Skills. Ed.D…
  55. Argues that the formal report is best taught to community college students via laboratory-centered instructio…
  56. Pavlisin Peggy Irene, Teaching Students to Revise and Proofread: An Experiment with Technical Writing Student…
  57. Found that students who received instruction in revision and were required to revise showed no improvement ov…
  58. Ragonnet James Lawrence, The Relationship Between Rhetorical and Scientific Discovery. Ph.D. Rensselaer Polyt…
  59. Argues that rhetorical and scientific discovery share common values, thoughts, and methods.
  60. Smith Leonara Harris, Revision Practices of Professional Writers. Ph.D. Michigan State University, 1983. DAI,…
  61. Found that writers' revision processes were multi-layered and recursive, progressively moving through an unde…
  62. Stalnaker Bonny Jean, A Study of the Influence of Audience and Purpose on the Composing Processes of Professi…
  63. Using protocol/text analysis, found that professional writers respond to audience as they accomplish their ow…
  64. Wilkins Keith Albert, A Conceptualized Role of Attitudes, Needs, and Environmental Stimuli in Human Responses…
  65. Criticizes three attitude change theories, suggesting that each could be improved by inclusion of components …
  66. Cables/Cableways Instructional Design Series
  67. Review of Interactive Writing: Composing with a Word Processor, Technical Communication, in press.
  68. Cables/Cableways Instructional Design Series
  69. A Beginner's Guide to Teaching Technical Writing: An Annotated Bibliography, (with Bill Birns), ERIC ED 245 2…
  70. Review of Business and Technical Writing Cookbook, Technical Communication, 30, No. 3, 1983.
  71. Paper presented at the Southeastern Conference on English in the Two-Year College