Draft Project Proposal

Responding to Student Writing: Theory, Practice, and Perception in the Freshman Composition Classroom

Throughout Daniel B. Willingham’s work on teacher effectiveness of feedback on written assignments, college freshman composition instructors can identify the need to find a balance between the specificity of comments on content and mechanics on students’ written assignments. College composition instructors’ comments on written assignments frequently overemphasize markings of errors in mechanics and grammar rather than constructing feedback that will encourage students to recognize how their written assignments could be improved and also how it should encourage students to become their own editor.

Much of the research conducted provides various pedagogical strategies to provide effective written responses to student writing; however, many instructors are not aware of theories of responding to student writing in order to provide a more effective approach to feedback. When instructors aren’t aware of the theories behind feedback on student writing, unintentional negative effects may take place that will leave the student not knowing exactly what changes should be made and how it will improve their writing and writing skill. Additionally, should instructors not know how to respond effectively to student writing, oversaturation or overly vague comments will leave the student not knowing which direction to take in the writing process.

The purpose of this presentation is to examine theory in student feedback by focusing on the following factors:
1. What instructors know about responding to student writing
2. How instructors communicate feedback to student writing
3. Students reactions to feedback both verbal and written

This presentation aims to provide freshman composition instructors with theories behind pedagogical practices that will allow instructors to reflect on how they communicate feedback to student writing in relation to how students perceive both written and verbal feedback on writing assignments. From these theories, freshman composition instructors can begin to determine how much and what they should emphasize based on an established continuum.

This presentation is designed for those that are involved in composition studies and freshman composition instructors. Because students not only produce written assignments in freshman composition, instructors in social sciences and humanities may benefit from this presentation. Audience members will benefit from this presentation by obtaining more effective pedagogical practices in responding to student writing.