Topic: Research Abstracts

10-second reviews: Images of reading and writing in children’s books, biblical literature, process writing.

Abstracts:

Literacy images in books: ALA Notable Children’s books. Finds significant increases over the period examined of incidents of reading and writing factors, with the writing factor showing the strongest increase. L O Hoffmann,1993, 425. ………. Utilizing surveys, interviews and observations, finds that 1) while 81% of high school English teachers reported it important to teach some Bible literature, only 10% actually do so; 2) high school textbooks averaged 261 literary readings, but only one-fourth of one percent were from the Bible; and 3) no state post-secondary school and only 38% of private post-secondary schools surveyed required Bible literature. MG Wachlin, 1993, 426. ………. Following extensive instruction in process writing—its philosophical, theoretical and implementation factors—finds that 1) student teachers were able to establish the model in their classrooms; 2) teacher changed their attitudes toward writing and writing instruction; and 3) students’ quality of writing improved 30% on holistic assessments. RK Menk, 1993, 427-428.

Source: “Annotated Bibliography of Research in the Teaching of English.” Research in the Teaching of English (December 1994), 418-436.