Linking Writing Instruction to Subject Area Learning: Rationale, Structures and Strategies.

There is continuing educational concern about the quality of students' writing. Writing problems extend beyond the composition course with some students writing ineffectively in content courses and in their lives as citizens or professionals. Recently many institutions have responded to this problem with writing-across-the-curriculum programs. Some administrators and instructors question the value of these programs while others who support such efforts sometimes lack strategies for implementing and sustaining these programs. In this dissertation, I provide a rationale for linking writing instruction and content learning, an approach characteristic of these writing-across-the-curriculum programs, and provide resources for implementing such an integrated approach. The rationale outlines the limitations of traditional approaches which separate writing and content learning, suggests approaches to the freshman composition course which facilitate writing/content learning links, and investigates how the proposed integrated approach both develops writing skills and supports content learning. As a resource for implementing the proposed integrated approach, the study explores several supportive administrative structures, proposes a model for developing writing assignments, and outlines specific activities which enrich writing/content links. The model for developing and revising assignments provides instructors with a means of systematically evaluating assignments and provides students with guidelines for responding to instructors' writing assignments. A sourcebook of classroom activities includes goals, background information and instructions for each activity. Finally, the study develops both a rationale and procedures for using professional writing models, case study approaches and journal writing to develop writing skills, to foster critical thinking and to apply content learning. The study claims that integrating writing instruction and content instruction is feasible and that such integration can reinforce the goals of both writing and content instructors.PhDLanguage artsUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159326/1/8314223.pd