Research on Written Composition

by George Hillocks Jr.

New directions for teaching. From In a narrow operational sense, George Hillocks reports on studies that have been prepared more carefully than those of the 1940s and 1950s. Possibly researchers have simply become more fastidious in writing their reports, and possibly they have been more careful in designing studies. Whatever the cause, the more recent studies are persuasive simply because the researchers seem to take themselves more seriously. the work stand sup under examination.

369 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1986

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, the research Hillocks covers is out of date, but you got to love his methods: namely, a thorough, social-studies-esque, statistically driven meta-analysis of composition research. So many things that we take for granted, or accept on a few narrative stories, are actually quite different in the actual numbers. I want another survey like this carried out, but I want it in accessible "Naked Economist" fashion so that laypeople, administrators and even the time-strapped FYC instructors of the world can have access to information about what actually works.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, it was published back in 1986, but the research was actually quite fascinating-- seminal when comes to research on composition. I can see where his argument foundations came from.