Andrea A. Lunsford

Frequency of Formal Errors in Current College Writing, or Ma and Pa Kettle Do Research.

The labyrinthine project of which this research is a part represents an ongoing activity for us, something we engage in because we like to work together, have a long friendship, and share many interests. As we worked on this error research together, however, we started somewhere along the line to feel less and less like the white-coated Researchers of our dreams and more and more like characters we called Ma and Pa Kettle-good-hearted bumblers striving to understand a world whose complexity was more than a little daunting. Being fans of classical rhetoric, prosopopoeia, letteraturizzazione, and the like, as well as enthusiasts for intertextuality, plaisir de texte, differance, etc., we offer this account of our travails-with apologies to Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride.

IText: Future Directions for Research on the Relationship between Information Technology and Writing.

Most people who use information technology (IT) every day use IT in text-centered interactions. In e-mail, we compose and read texts. On the Web, we read (and often compose) texts. And when we crea...Most people who use information technology (IT) every day use IT in text-centered interactions. In e-mail, we compose and read texts. On the Web, we read (and often compose) texts. And when we create and refer to the appointments and notes in our personal digital assistants, we use texts. Texts are deeply embedded in cultural, cognitive, and material arrangements that go back thousands of years. Information technologies with texts at their core are, by contrast, a relatively recent development. To participate with other information researchers in shaping the evolution of these ITexts, researchers and scholars must build on a knowledge base and articulate issues, a task undertaken in this article. The authors begin by reviewing the existing foundations for a research program in IText and then scope out issues for research over the next five to seven years. They direct particular attention to the evolving character of ITexts and to their impact on society. By undertaking this research, the authors urge the continuing evolution of technologies of text.

Reclaiming Rhetorica: Women in the Rhetorical Tradition

These essays examine: how women have used language to reflect their vision of themselves and their age; how they have used traditional rhetoric and applied it to womens discourse; and how women have contributed to rhetorical theory.

The English Coalition Conference : democracy through language

Compiled from the three-week English Coalition conference of 60 leaders in the English teaching profession, this report examines the way English and the language arts are taught at all levels of education today, and the problems in society and education that interfere with learning. Conferees represented the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and its constituent groups for college teachers of writing, high school English department chairs, and teacher educators; the hodern Language Association (MLA) and its affiliated Association of Departments of English; the College English Association, and the College Language Department. Areas discussed in the report include: (1) the teachers role in the English classroom; (2) curriculum goals and emphases at all levels; (3) literacy education; and (4) recommendations for change in education. Resolutions proposed by various coalition subgroups and approved in general terms by the conference participants are also included in the report, and concern the place of media studies in the English/language arts curriculum, English as a foreign language, tracking in elementary and secondary schools, testing and assessment, teacher education and professional growth, the rights and responsibilities of students and teachers, and current conditions for the teaching of writing in colleges and universities. The report also includes a series of concrete illustrations of the problems and practices dealt with in the resolutions, as well as bibliographies on the issues, conditions, and concepts that figure in the report. A diary of conference events and a list of participants are also included. (MM) The English Coalition Conference: Democracy through Language

Exorcising Demonolatry Spelling Patterns and Pedagogies in College Writing

Since the rise of college-level spelling instruction, pedagogies have been few, based primarily on “demon lists” of spelling words and injunctions to students about developing “informed doubt.” This study examines spelling instruction historically, then describes a large-scale analysis done in 1986 of the spelling errors found in 3,000 nationally gathered and stratified student essays. The result of this research is a new and somewhat unusual “demon list” indicating that the most commonly misspelled words are homophones, spellings based on pronunciation, and visual errors. The study then examines the changes wrought in student spelling by the advent of word processing with and without associated spell-checking, examining 100 word-processed essays with and 100 without spell-checking. This research indicates that word processing greatly increases the number of spelling errors unless spell-checking is used. The study concludes by exploring the question of what the future may hold for spelling pedagogies.