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Open Access Thesis

Keywords

English language--Study and teaching; Written communication;

Abstract

As theorists and instructors of written composition come to understand writing as more than a product of putting thoughts on slate, paper, or screen, oral revision techniques such as student-teacher conferences and peer editing groups are increasingly being used during the process of composing. Recent reports indicate use of these and other speaking activities in the writing classroom, as pre-writing procedures and as revision techniques, for example. Yet, the call continues for more research in both the teaching of written composition and in speaking/writing relationships. This research was designed to determine the effects of using three different oral revision techniques--peer editing groups, student-teacher conferences, and public speaking performances--during the rewriting of cause/effect essays. An experiment was set up at Mount St. Clare College in Clinton, Iowa, with 75 freshmen students enrolled in four sections of English composition and their two instructors. All 75 students wrote first drafts of a cause/effect essay on a teacher-assigned topic. One section of students then participated in student-teacher conferences before rewriting, one section met in small peer editing groups, one section gave short speeches on their topic, and one section did not participate in a formal revision procedure. A week and a half later, all students rewrote a second draft of their essays. First and second drafts of the essays were scored separately by the two instructors, neither or whom knew which were first drafts and which were second. Scores were analyzed by comparing means and variances. Chi square was used to analyze the post-experiment survey. Data from the experiment indicated that use of oral revision techniques resulted in greater improvement during rewriting than did revision done with no formal treatment. In particular, students who met in dyads, met in small groups, or gave speeches between drafts experienced improved quality of their essay introductions, organization, and style. Of the three oral revision techniques which were used, peer editing groups affected the greatest improvement, with speeches next, and student-teacher conferences last. However, results of the post-experiment survey showed that whereas students were helped least by student-teacher conferences, they perceived those conferences as the most helpful way to improve their writing. In summary, this study presents a variety of theoretical approaches to the teaching of written composition and the relationship of writing and speaking. The heuristic value of material contained in this report could occupy the imagination of both the reader and the writer for several days.

Year of Submission

1986

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Communication and Theatre Arts

First Advisor

Mary Bozik

Second Advisor

Harley Erickson

Comments

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Date Original

1986

Object Description

1 PDF file (156 leaves)

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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