International Advances in Writing Research: Cultures, Places, Measures

Abstract

Representing the forefront of work at this broad-ranging conference, the chapters are a strong indicator of some of the leading edges of current writing research. The chapters selected for their individual merit, nonetheless thematically cluster, as the editors discovered when organizing the table of contents. Instruction and learning in school contexts, from early childhood through higher education, remain central concerns of research, as the chapters in Section 1. Pedagogical Approaches elaborate. Recently in the US and elsewhere we have seen a dramatically increased emphasis on assessing writing at an institutional level. This pressure and the digital tools being used to facilitate assessment have served to focus and narrow the teaching and learning of writing. While this may seem to be a concern particular to the US, interest in assessment and accountability is influencing educational policy discussions in many regions internationally. To ensure that the contentious debate over assessment tools is grounded in careful research we present a series of studies from leading voices on all sides of the issue in Section 2. Assessment. Despite the effect of assessments to constrain instruction to meet schoolbased requirements, researchers and practitioners have shown increasing concern for how school learning is situated in broader social issues (the theme of Section 3. Writing at the Borders of School and World) and how instruction relates to writing practices outside the school (the theme of Section 4. Writing the Orders of School and Professional Practice.) Further attention to writing development extends to the upper reaches of the academy with examination of post-graduate education and scientific publication throughout the career in Section 5. Scientific and Academic Practice. Further, research has continued to grow on writing practices in the workplace, as examined in the closing Section 6. Cultures of Writing in the Workplace