Teaching English in the Two-Year College May 2024

Feature: The Misalignment between the Discipline and the Teaching of Writing

Steven Accardi ; Jillian Grauman

Abstract

The majority of first-year writing “is taught by teachers whose educational backgrounds are more likely to be in literature, cultural studies, or creative writing than in rhetoric and composition” (Abraham 78). This disciplinary knowledge gap poses a challenge for FYW faculty to adjust to new shifts in FYW pedagogy. We would expect inhouse faculty development opportunities to help fill these gaps; however, the results of our year-long qualitative study indicate that the lack of shared disciplinary knowledge and the constraints on adjunct faculty make it challenging for faculty without backgrounds in writing studies to adapt their pedagogies. We add to the body of scholarship on professionalization in two-year college writing studies (e.g., Andelora; Griffiths; Jensen et al.; Sullivan; Toth et al., “Distinct”) and argue that addressing this problem will require investing resources in adjunct support; changing hiring practices to prioritize expertise in writing studies; and designing faculty development that focuses on both theory and pedagogy.

Journal
Teaching English in the Two-Year College
Published
2024-05-01
DOI
10.58680/tetyc2024514292
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
rhetorical criticism first-year composition writing pedagogy creative writing two-year college teacher development labor and working conditions qualitative research
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