PUB TYPE Speeches/Conference Papers (150) Reports

A qualitative multimethod study identified the beliefs about writing instruction held by seven full-time English instructors at Central Arizona College Signal Peak Campus. Data were collected through interviews, document analysis, and surveys. Research questions examined how faculty members viewed themselves as writing teachers, what curriculum models the faculty members followed, what assumptions faculty members had about writing and the meaning of the writing process, and how the department's "philosophy of composition " can be defined. Data were used to construct the Faculty Beliefs Continuum, with the opposite ends being represented by "Meaning Controls Form " and "Form Controls Meaning. " Tables display each faculty member's key beliefs concerning characteristics of effective writers, managing of English 101, class activities, grammar, and philosophy of composition. Results indicated that th