Native and nonnative student writers

We assert that schools and textbook publishers ineffectively emphasize gram-mar. To see if traditional instruction in grammar prepares students for busi-ness communication classes and the corporate world, we investigated specific writing skills of both native and nonnative business students. Although most students passed objective grammar and punctuation tests—the two groups showed no statistical differences—some cannot write. High schools, the study found, pass these students. The university also passes writing-deficient stu-dents on to employers who must train them. We searched for reasonable solu-tions to reduce the number of graduates who lack English skills for the workplace. BUSINESS WRITING INSTRUCTORS are alarmed that so-many students have serious writing problems. In fact, instructors wonder how students who are almost illiterate in the English lan-. guage are studying at the university. The explanation that immedi-ately presents itself is that more nonnative students are enterin