Doing More Than “Thinning Out the Herd”: How Eighty-Two College Seniors Perceived Writing-Intensive Classes

Thomas L. Hilgers; Ann Shea Bayer; Monica Stitt-Bergh; Megumi Taniguchi

doi:10.58680/rte199515357

Research in the Teaching of English Feb 1995

Doing More Than “Thinning Out the Herd”: How Eighty-Two College Seniors Perceived Writing-Intensive Classes

Thomas L. Hilgers ; Ann Shea Bayer University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa ; Monica Stitt-Bergh ; Megumi Taniguchi

Abstract

More and more college campuses are offering one or another form of “writing-intensive” classes across the curriculum. This study investigates what students perceive to be the effects of the writing-intensive requirement at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa where students are required to take five courses designated as writing-intensive. To identify the potential composite effects of taking three or more writing-intensive classes and to identify evidence of learning that may have resulted from these multiple experiences, we interviewed 82 randomly selected seniors. Using interview transcriptions, we developed a scheme for analysis of the data. These analyses revealed several areas of self-identified improvement associated with writing-intensive classes: writing skills, knowledge acquisition, and problem-solving abilities. Students also reported that they had become better writers through interaction with their professors during the writing process, although they also reported wanting to better understand the philosophy behind writingacross- the-curriculuma nd the purposes of specific assignments. These student-reported effects of writing-intensive classes support the notion that writing can play an important part in learning.

Journal: Research in the Teaching of English
Published: 1995-02-01
DOI: 10.58680/rte199515357
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Open Access: Closed
Topics: writing pedagogy writing across the curriculum
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Doing More Than “Thinning Out the Herd”: How Eighty-Two College Seniors Perceived Writing-Intensive Classes

Abstract

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Cited by in this index (3)

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