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Faculty ResearchProposed Campus Writing Center Research ProjectJanet L. HagemannThe Writing Center was created to meet the advanced writing needs of the SJSU population, and preliminary data confirm that the Writing Center is indeed meeting this objective. Another important objective of the Writing Center is to increase retention and graduation rates by providing one-on-one tutoring, particularly to upper division and graduate students. As Faculty-in-Residence, I will continue my work of assessing the progress of tutees through data collection.I now have data from four semesters; therefore I will begin to correlate student visits to the Writing Center with student retention and graduation rates. My hypothesis is that the data will show a positive correlation between students using the Writing Center and students who graduate. I will also continue to examine data that identifies characteristics of the student population the Writing Center serves: grade level, major, ethnicity, language spoken at home, the course for which the tutoring was needed, and material covered in the tutoring session. These data are a significant indicator of the area of influence of the Writing Center. Another area of my research is to correlate student success with Writing Center workshops. To determine if these workshops have any impact on student success, I will track student comments and evaluations of these workshops and I will personally call student attendees to follow-up on the impact of that workshop on their academic success. The data I collect from tutoring sessions and workshops will validate that the Writing Center continues to improve academic performance and grades of upper division and graduate students at SJSU. The collection of data is an on-going process which will continue throughout the academic year. I will compile my findings in a report to be presented to the Writing Requirements Committee in September 2009, and to any other SJSU administrator or committee interested in the success of the Writing Center. This research will be of use to other Writing Center faculty and staff; therefore, I also plan to publish my research in a writing center journal. Grammar Instruction and its Value in University Composition CoursesMichelle HagerObjectives
Procedures This project will assess the value of teaching grammar in the freshman composition classroom. I will assert that many instructors do not teach grammar in college English courses for two primary reasons: (1) they mistakenly believe that the majority of students have grasped the material already (since it is taught in earlier grades); or (2) they have not been trained to teach grammar effectively and in a way that will engage students. After I conduct interviews and compile data to prove these assertions, I will suggest methods for teaching grammar to college students. In addition to the benefits of formal grammar exercises (such as those found in writing handbooks), I will demonstrate that it is crucial to teach grammar in the context of students' own writing and to use direct examples from their writing to improve composition. Since some college composition teachers are resistant to grammar instruction, I will demonstrate that grammar can be taught in short segments, and, in fact, these brief lessons are the most effective since they allow the instructor to teach other necessary topics and better hold the attention of the students. Sample Interview Questions A significant portion of my research will be discussing grammar instruction with writing instructors from SJSU and other California universities. The following list includes some possible interview questions:
After gathering the data from interviews, I will conduct research, and I will examine the findings of published authorities on the subject. I will then write my own report on the topic, proving my assertion that grammar is a necessary component of university composition courses. My report will prove the need for this type of instruction and suggest ways that it can be achieved successfully in the classroom. |
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