The teaching of composition in state two-year technical institutions in the United States

This study was designed to provide an empirical data base for composition requirements, courses, methods, and teachers in state technical institutions. Two questionnaires were prepared and sent to personnel in 2l3identifiable state technical institutions in the United States. The supervisor's questionnaire, mailed to English department heads and writing center directors, contained eight questions dealing with instructors' degrees, race, sex, and age; instructional loads, cooperation between composition.and business-technical instructors, placement tools,required courses, developmental composition, and compositional aids. The instructor's questionnaire, intended for both classroom and writing center teachers, asked five questions about instructors' experience, teaching practices, formal preparation for teaching, membership and participation in professional organizations, and readership of professional periodicals.

A total of 208 questionnaires from 97 institutions was received, for an institutional return rate of 45%. The results of the questionnaires were tabulated, analyzed, and compared with earlier data.

The findings of this study indicate: The formal preparation of the majority offull-time composition teachers is adequate. Most instructors have earned the master's as their highest degree, usually in English, less often in English education or another field. They generally have good formal preparation in composition, education, and language-related courses. Both their age range and employment experience

A represent a wide diversity. Over 95% of the instructors are white; two-thirds are female. Composition teachers cooperate most often with subject area instructors in planning instructional content, less often in the teaching of composition and reading or grading of papers.

Courses in general composition, discipline-oriented composition, and speech are required by many state technical institutions. The writing sample and standardized tests are the two most frequently used tools for placement in composition courses. Most of these colleges have special developmental composition sections, but few have writing/learning centers.

Traditional aids to composition--such as composition textbooks, grammar workbooks and handbooks--are often used, while other aids--such as newspapers, magazines, and non-programmed audio-visual material--are used less frequently. The frequency with which a practice--e.g., lecture or peer tutoring--is employed is influenced more by how traditional it is than how effective it is. A high percentage of composition teachers may fail to utilize newer practices because they have no working knowledge of them and are unaware of research indicating their effectiveness. A majority of composition teachers are not keeping up adequately with developments in their disciplines because (l) they are not attending professional meetings; (2) they are not reading professional periodicals; (3) the textbooks they are using ordinarily do notinclude innovations.