Composition Research: Empirical Designs

Intended for writing instructors and those interested in research on written discourse who do not have extensive training in empirical research, Composition Research explains ten of the most common empirical designs used in the social sciences, including case studies, ethnographies, sampling and survey, prediction and classification, true and quasi-experiments, meta-analyses, and program evaluation. For those interested in conducting research in composition, this book describes what each design entails and indicates which ones require more empirical training, providing a foundation for further work. It will enable writing instructors in general to discriminate between strong and weak empirical studies so that conclusions are neither dismissed nor accepted blindly. To this end, the editors include two or three examples of compositional studies in each chapter on design, plus a bibliography after each section that refers to other writing studies using that particular method. In addition, the book provides a chapter on measurement, an appendix of measurement instruments for composition, an appendix on statistical analyses, a glossary of technical terms and symbols, and guidelines for research. Geared primarily for English instructors, Composition Research will enable teachers to read empirical studies with more confidence and to apply these methods to their own composition research and teaching.