College Composition and Communication Sep 2024

Disciplinarity and Transfer Ten Years Later: A Multi-Institutional Investigation into Student Perceptions of Learning to Write

Katherine Rothschild ; Dana Lynn Driscoll ; Roger Powell ; Jennifer Wells

Abstract

This research team sought to gauge potential changes in the composition landscape by replicating, diversifying, and extending Bergmann and Zepernick’s 2007 study. To potentially measure the impact of years of transfer-focused work, we examined participants’ perceptions of first-year writing (FYW) classes at multiple institutions and in multiple fields at four diverse institutions. Gathering data from thirteen focus groups and sixteen interviews, the study included sixty-four total participants at four universities across the United States. Our findings diverged from the original study. The results indicated students felt that FYW was both personal and academic; that FYW taught students how to write; that FYW instructors were experts in their field; that FYW teaches best writing processes and practices; that personally relevant writing is important to writing transfer; and that for writing, there is “no box under the bed.” These findings suggest that transfer curricula may be working in tandem with other approaches, such as Writing about Writing, to shift students’ perceptions of the importance of FYW.

Journal
College Composition and Communication
Published
2024-09-01
DOI
10.58680/ccc2024761149
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
first-year composition transfer qualitative research
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Fiscus-Cannaday et al. (2025)
    Contextualizing Reflective Writing for Creating Change: A Cross-Institutional C…
    College Composition and Communication

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