A study of the remedial English course at Ball State University : and a proposal for a more effective method of teaching composition

Since the first course in rhetoric began at Harvard in the 1890's, college and university English departments have been concerned about the writing proficiency of freshmen. This concern was magnified by the adoption of open-admissions policies in the sixties, and as a result many English departments began developing remedial English courses to deal with the unprepared student.This study proposes to investigate this development from a variety of perspectives. Its main purpose is to present a model textbook for remedial composition, explain how it was used, and analyze the results of its use in the classroom. The first three chapters provide a justification for such a textbook. The first chapter contains a discussion on the changing attitudes toward education in general and freshman composition in particular that have resulted from the drop in SAT scores and the adoption of open-admissions policies.The second chapter is an analysis of information about remedial programs at American universities based on a questionnaire which asked the following questions: 1) How do you identify the remedial student? 2) What is the relation of your remedial program to your regular program? 3) Who teaches your remedial courses? Is there an orientation program for the staff? .4) What is the focus of your curriculum? sentence? the paragraph? the essay? 5) What texts using? 6) Do you have any self-study documents that see?The third chapter is a history of the development of the remedial English course at Ball State University over the past five years. It includes an evaluation of the texts that have been used, the different types of standardized tests that have been given, and the progress of a selection of 102 students.The fourth chapter is the model textbook, Beginning Writing, that was used in two special sections of English 102 in the Fall Quarter of 1976. Each chapter of Beginning Writing, follows the same format. First there is an illustrative quotation, usually from a literary work, followed by a carefully written introduction to the various forms of writing assigned in the remedial English program. Next are three illustrative essays: one by a professional writer, one by a strong student writer, and one by a weak student writer. Each selection is followed by questions related to its organization and development, assignments for a journal, and a list of theme topics. Finally, there is a cartoon that emphasizes a major point discussed with the chapter.The fifth chapter contains a journal of the quarter and case studies of twelve students from the two sections which used Beginning, Writing. This analysis identifies the strong features of the textbook and those sections that will require revision.Thesis (D. Ed.