Coordination and Transfer across the Metagenre of Secondary Research

Stuart Blythe; Laura Gonzales

doi:10.58680/ccc201629615

College Composition and Communication Jun 2016

Coordination and Transfer across the Metagenre of Secondary Research

Stuart Blythe ; Laura Gonzales The University of Texas at El Paso

Abstract

The authors report on a study of writing transfer using a relatively novel method. Specifically, they use screencast videos to study the work of a dozen undergraduates who had taken first-year writing and were now enrolled in an interdisciplinary biology class. The authors argue that students were able to adapt to the writing requirements in the biology class because they implicitly understood themselves to be engaged in Carter’s metagenre of “research from sources.” Because students in this study had been asked to engage in that metagenre at least since high school, they believed their writing habits were established well before first-year writing, and consequently they have trouble recognizing the influence of such a course on their subsequent work. The study also revealed that students coordinated multiple texts simultaneously in order to engage in processes akin to what Howard has called “patchwriting” but also similar to the habits of professional writers. Whereas professional writers have well established networks for seeking information, the students in this study worked in relative isolation, using a few sources found haphazardly through library or Google searches. The authors suggest that instructors spend more time helping students develop effective networks of information, including experts and organizations in addition to published sources.

Journal: College Composition and Communication
Published: 2016-06-01
DOI: 10.58680/ccc201629615
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Open Access: Closed
Topics: first-year composition transfer
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

Shepherd (2025)

Writing Transfer beyond FYC

College Composition and Communication

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Coordination and Transfer across the Metagenre of Secondary Research

Abstract

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Cited by in this index (1)

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