Writing and Learning in View of the Lab: Why "They" Might be Right

Catherine Prendergast University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Abstract

To interrogate the field’s current understanding of writing as central to learning in the sciences, this study offers results from a qualitative, emic study of college students and their scientist mentors at work in an NSF-sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates. I observed that the work of this professional research laboratory mainly recruited and developed literacies, such as manual dexterity and visual acuity, other than language-based ones. Describing here the various laboratory activities that fostered higher-order thinking and knowledge transformation, I conclude that “writing to learn” research must consider how writing fits in with an ever-developing understanding of the complexity of learning.

Journal
Literacy in Composition Studies
Published
2013-10-31
DOI
10.21623/1.1.2.2
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Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Literacy in Composition Studies

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