First-year composition and transfer: a quantitative study

Williams, James D.; Hattori, Minami

dc.contributor.author	Williams, James D.	en
dc.contributor.author	Hattori, Minami	en
dc.date.accessioned	2017-03-17T10:01:14Z
dc.date.available	2017-03-17T10:01:14Z
dc.date.issued	2017-03
dc.identifier.citation	Williams, J.D., Hattori, M. (2017) 'First-year composition and transfer: a quantitative study' Journal of pedagogic development 7 (1) 8-21	en
dc.identifier.issn	2047-3265
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10547/622064
dc.description.abstract	The present study investigated the effect of writing pedagogy on transfer by examining the effect of pedagogical orientation (WAC/WID or ‘traditional’) on content-area grades. Participants were 1,052 undergraduates from 17 schools throughout the United States. Hypothesis was that the WAC/WID orientation would lead to higher transfer levels as measured by participants’ higher content-area performance. Composition grades were collected in year one; content-area grades where collected in year two. Propensity scores were calculated to stratify the groups and minimize selection bias of writing-class assignment, thereby allowing quasi-causal inference. An ANOVA was performed on the resulting 2-by-5 stratified data. Results indicated that students who completed the WAC/WID composition classes received significantly higher content grades than those in the ‘traditional’ writing classes. The results confirmed the hypothesis.
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	University of Bedfordshire	en
dc.relation.url	https://journals.beds.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/jpd/issue/viewIssue/29/7	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/	*
dc.subject	transfer	en
dc.subject	academic performance	en
dc.subject	composition	en
dc.subject	pedagogy	en
dc.subject	higher education	en
dc.title	First-year composition and transfer: a quantitative study	en
dc.type	Article	en
dc.contributor.department	Soka University	en
dc.contributor.department	University of Notre Dame	en
dc.identifier.journal	Journal of pedagogic development	en
html.description.abstract	The present study investigated the effect of writing pedagogy on transfer by examining the effect of pedagogical orientation (WAC/WID or ‘traditional’) on content-area grades. Participants were 1,052 undergraduates from 17 schools throughout the United States. Hypothesis was that the WAC/WID orientation would lead to higher transfer levels as measured by participants’ higher content-area performance. Composition grades were collected in year one; content-area grades where collected in year two. Propensity scores were calculated to stratify the groups and minimize selection bias of writing-class assignment, thereby allowing quasi-causal inference. An ANOVA was performed on the resulting 2-by-5 stratified data. Results indicated that students who completed the WAC/WID composition classes received significantly higher content grades than those in the ‘traditional’ writing classes. The results confirmed the hypothesis.