I.  QUANTITATIVE STUDIES FINDING GAIN

(Areas of gain are in bold)

Bailey, Richard W, et al. (1980), Measuring student writing ability.  In Aviva Freedman & Ian Pringle, eds., Reinventing the Rhetorical Tradition, L & S Books: 137-144.  Holistic

Bentley, R. H. (1991), And gladly count:  Examining the error-reduction component of a writing program.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service:  ED 331 078.  Surface error

Butz, Judith, & Grabor, Terry.  (1976), Tutorial versus classroom in freshman English.  College English 37 (7): 654-656. Holistic (grades)

Buxton, Earl W. (1958). Experiment to test the effects of writing frequency and guided practice upon studentsí skill in written expression.  Stanford Ph.D.  Syntax, diction, figures of speech, surface error

Childers, P. R. & Haas, V. J.  (1970).  Effect of detailed guidance on writing efficiency of college freshmen. Journal of Experimental Education 39 (1): 20-23.  Analytic scale

Clifford, John. (1981).  Composing in stages:  The effects of a  collaborative pedagogy, Research in the Teaching of English 15 (1): 37-53.  Holistic, surface error

Cohen, Arthur M. (1973).  Assessing college studentsí ability to write compositions, Research in the Teaching of English 7 (3): 356-371. Content, organization

Collignon, Joseph. (1980). Did you say spuriously?  No, I said furiously?  College English 42 (1): 18-24.  Surface error, style

David, C., & Buboly, T.  (1983).  Evaluating studentsí achievement in a writing center.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service: 230 976.  Holistic

Davis, Ken.  (1979).  Significant improvement in freshman composition as measured by impromptu essays:  A large-scale experiment. Research in the Teaching of English 13 (1): 45-48.  Holistic

Denman, M. E. (1978).  Measure of success in writing.  College Composition and Communication 29: 42-46.  Holistic

Dohaney, M. T. (1979).  Growth in writing ability through immersion in a university discipline. Dissertation Abstracts International 39: 5347A.  Organization, style

Faigley, Lester  L.  (1979).  Influence of generative rhetoric on the syntactic maturity and writing effectiveness of college freshmen.  Research in the Teaching of English 13 (3): 197-206. Syntax, holistic

Faigley, Lester L. (1979).  Generative rhetoric as a way of increasing syntactic fluency. College Composition and Communication 30 (2): 176-181.  Syntax

Fox, Roy E.  (1980).  Treatment of writing apprehension and its effects on composition.  Research in the Teaching of English 14 (1): 39-50.  Writing apprehension

Girton, Kathy (2002).  Memorandum to Michael Rudick, English Department, University of Utah [unpublished manuscript].  Holistic

Gordon, Helen H. (1979).  A comparison of fragmented and holistic modes of instruction in remedial writing courses at Sacramento City College. ERIC Document Reproduction ServiceED 179 271.  Fluency, surface error

Gorrell, Donna K. (1981).  Defining the basic writing student by count.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service  ED 199 725. Surface error

Gorrell, Donna K. (1983).  Toward determining a minimal competency entrance examination for freshman composition.  Research in the Teaching of English 17:  263-274.  Holistic, surface error

Grabor, Terry, et al. (1974).  Measuring writing progress:  an experiment.  College English 35 (4): 484-485.  Holistic

Haas,  V. J., et al.  (1972).  English composition by workshop. Journal of Experimental Education 40: 33-37.  Holistic

Hansen, Barbara. (1978).  Rewriting is a waste of time, College English 39 (8): 956-960.  Holistic, editing skills

Hartvigsen, M. Kip. (1981).  A comparative study of quality and syntactic maturity between in-class and out-of-class writing samples of freshmen at Washington State University. Dissertation, Washington State University.  Holistic

Haswell, Richard H. (1986).  Change in undergraduate and post-graduate writing performance (Part I):  Quantified findings.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service  ED 269 780.  Holistic, fluency, support, vocabulary

Haswell, Richard H.  (1988).  Contrasting Ways to Appraise Improvement in a Writing Course: Paired Comparison and Holistic. ERIC Document Reproduction Service  ED 294 315.  Ideas, vocabulary, syntax, surface error, holistic

Haswell, Richard H. (1983).  Minimal Marking, College English 45 (6): 600-604.  Surface error

Haswell, Richard H. (1981).  Within-group distribution of syntactic gain through practice in sentence-combining.  Research in the Teaching of English 15: 87-96.  Syntax

Hilgers, Thomas L. (1980).  Training college composition students in the use of freewriting and problem-solving heuristics for rhetorical invention.  Research in the Teaching of English 14 (4): 293-307. Holistic, support

Hogan, Craig. (1977).  Let's not scrap the impromptu essay test yet.  Research in the Teaching of English 11 (3): 219-225. Holistic

Holzman, Michael. (1980).  Theory, research, and pedagogy.  College English 42 (4): 343-349.  Vocabulary

Jones, M. A. C. (1981).  An investigation to determine the rate of syntactic growth from sentence-combining practice in freshman English. Dissertation Abstracts International 41: 4321A.  Syntax

Kerek, Andrew, et al. (1980).  Sentence Combining and College Composition. Perceptual Motor Skills 51: 1059-1157 (Monograph Supplement 1-V51). Syntax

Kivits, Virginia M. (1968/1969).  An experiment in teaching English composition using an oral laboratory approach.  General College Studies 5 (6): ??.  Also ERIC Document Reproduction ServiceED 032 871.  Style

Linn, William J. (1976).  Contrastive approaches: Experiment in pedagogical technique. College English 38 (2): 144-152.  Holistic, fluency

Maimon, Elaine P., & Nodine, Barbara F. (1978).  Measuring syntactic growth: Errors and expectations in sentence-combining practice with college freshmen.  Research in the Teaching of English 12 (3): 233-244.  Syntax

McDonald, Susan P. (1980).  Interpreting growth in writing. College Composition and Communication 31 (3): 301-310.  Syntax, Test of Standard Written English

McKendy, Thomas F. (1990).  Legitimizing peer  response:  A recycling project for placement essays.  College Composition and Communication 41 (1): 89-91.  Holistic

Meyer, Paul R. (1982).  A study of sex differences in the freshman composition course at the University of Texas at Austin.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 214 167.  Holistic

Morenberg, Max, et al.  (1978).  Sentence-Combining at the college level:  An experimental study.  Research in the Teaching of English 12 (3): 233-244.  Syntax, voice

Moriarity, D. J. (1978).  An investigation of the effect of instruction in five components of the writing process on the quality and syntactic complexity of student writing. ERIC Document Reproduction Service  ED 172 259.  Syntax, holistic

Ross, Janet. (1971).  Transformational approach to teaching composition. College Composition and Communication 22 (2): 179-184.  Syntax

Sanders, Sara E., & Littlefield, John H. (1975).  Perhaps test essays can reflect significant improvement in freshman composition:  Report on a successful attempt.  Research in the Teaching of English 9 (2): 145-153.  Holistic (California Essay Scale)

Schwab, G. B. (1982).  Measuring density of detail in composition and content courses.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 214-171.  Support

Shook, Ronald. (1981).  One-to-one:  An examination of a stage/process tutorial model for teaching English composition.  Ph.D. Indiana U.  Syntax

Simmons, Jo An McGuire (1979).  Report on the experiment testing the effectiveness of the one-on-one method of teaching composition. Improvement of Learning in English Project.  Los Angeles, CA:  Los Angeles City College.  Holistic

Smith, William L. & Combs, Warren E. (1980).  The effecdts of overt and covert cues on written syntax.  Research in the Teaching of English 14 (1): 19-38.  Syntax

Smith, William L.  & Hull, Glynda A. (1983).  Direct and indirect measurement of specific instruction:  Evidence from sentence combining.  Research in the Teaching of English 17 (3): 285-289. Syntax

Stewart, Murray F. (1978).  Freshman sentence-combining:  A Canadian project:  Research in the Teaching of English 12 (3): 257-268.  Syntax, holistic

Swan, M. Beverly. (1979).  Sentence-combining in college composition: Interim measures and patterns.  Research in the Teaching of English 13 (3): 217-224.  Syntax

Sweigart, William. (1996).  Assessing achievement in a developmental writing sequence.  Research & Teaching in Developmental Education 12 (2): 5-16.  Holistic (placement)

White, Edward N., & Polin, Linda G.  (1986).  Research in effective teaching of writing:  Volumes I and II:  Final project report.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service  ED 275 007. Holistic

Witte, Stephen P. & Faigley, Lester.  (1981).  A Comparison of analytic and synthetic approaches to the teaching of college writing.  TWRG Report  No. 1: University of Texas (Austin).  ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 209 677.  Holistic, fluency

Witte, Stephen P. & Sodowsky, Roland. (1978).  Syntactic maturity in the writing of college freshmen.  ERIC Document Reproduction Service ED 163 460.  Syntax.

Wolcott, Willa. (1996).  Evaluating a Basic Writing Program. Journal of Basic Writing 15 (1): 57-67.  Holistic, multiple item
 
 

III.  THEORETICAL PROBLEMS OF MEASURING GAIN IN A WRITING COURSE OR A WRITING CURRICULUM

Banta, Trudy, et al.  (1987).  Estimated student score on the ACT Comp exam:  Valid tool for institutional assessment? Research in Higher Education 27 (3): 195-217

Bishop, Wendy. (1991). Qualitative evaluation and the conversational writing classroom.   Journal of Teaching Writing (Summer): 267-285

Diederich, Paul E. (1974).   Measuring Growth in English.  National Council of Teachers of English

Elbow, Peter, & Belanoff, Pat. (1986). State University of New York, Stony Brook: Portfolio-based evaluation program.  In Paul Connolly & Theresa Vilardi, eds. New directions in college writing programs.  Modern Language Association: 158-185

Faigley, Lester, et al. (1985) Assessing writersí knowledge and processes of composing.  Ablex

Forrest, Aubrey. (1990).  Time will tell:  Portfolio-assisted assessment of general education.  American Association for Higher Education

Ford, James E., & Larkin, Gregory. (1978).  The portfolio system:  An end to backsliding writing standards.  College English 39 (8): 950-955

Haswell, Richard H. Documenting improvement in college writing: A longitudinal approach.  Written Communication 17 (3): 307-352

Haswell, Richard H. (2001). Value-added studies: Defending the circle.  In Richard H. Haswell, ed., Beyond outcomes: Assessment and instruction within a university writing program. Westport, CT: Ablex, pp. 107-124

Hillocks, Jr., George. (1981).  Responses of college freshmen to three modes of instruction.  American Journal of Education. 89: 373-395

Hillocks, Jr., George. (1986).  Research on written composition:  New directions for teaching.  National Conference on Research in English/ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading and Communication Skills

Kitzhaber, Albert  R.  (1963).  Themes, theories and therapy:  The teaching of writing in college.  McGraw-Hill

Knoblauch, C. H., & Brannon, Lil. (1984).  Rhetorical traditions and the teaching of writing.  Boynton/Cook

McCarthy, Patricia, et al.  (1985).  Self-efficacy and writing:  A different view of self-evaluation.  College Composition and Communication 36 (4): 465-471

McCleary, William J.  (1979).  A note of reliability and validity problems in composition research.  Research in the Teaching of English 13 (3): 274-277

Miller, Susan. (1980).  Rhetorical maturity: definition and development.  In Aviva Freedman & Ian Pringle, eds., Reinventing the Rhetorical Tradition, L & S Books: 119-127

Roemer., Marjorie, et al.  (1991).  Portfolios and the process of change.  College Composition and Communication 42 (4): 455-469

Strauss, John & Horch, Rose.  (1992).  Integration of process:  How students in a portfolio composition class use self-assessment to enhance their writing development. Paper presented at the New Directions in Portfolio Assessment (Miami University)

White, Edward M. (1990).  Language and reality in writing assessment. College Composition and Communication 41 (2): 187-200

White, Edward M. (1986).  Teaching and assessing writing [Chapter 2].  Jossey-Bass.