Retention and Persistence in Writing Programs: A Survey of Students Repeating First-Year Writing

Autor/in	Ruecker, Todd
Titel	Retention and Persistence in Writing Programs: A Survey of Students Repeating First-Year Writing
Quelle	In: Composition Forum, 46 (2021) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1522-7502
Schlagwörter	School Holding Power; Academic Persistence; Freshman Composition; Student Surveys; College Students; Writing Instruction; Dropout Research; Dropouts; Online Courses; Student Attitudes; School Policy + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schülerbefragung; Collegestudent; Schreibunterricht; Drop-out; Drop-outs; Dropout; Early leavers; Schulversagen; Online course; Online-Kurs; Schülerverhalten; Schulpolitik
Abstract	Student retention and persistence is increasingly prioritized by state and local policies as well as national scorecards and rankings--however, the policies that politicians and administrators undertake to improve university metrics tend to ignore the realities faced by students at the heart of our institutions. Drawing on a survey/interview project involving 67 students repeating first-year writing classes at a diverse institution in the Southwestern US, this article takes a student-centered approach to understand the reasons they drop first-year writing, such as health concerns, lack of engagement with the curriculum, and their incompatibility with online learning or poorly taught online classes. In making recommendations to address the challenges students face, the author calls on writing teachers and administrators to take a more activist stance in their roles, by engaging in actions such as pushing back against exploitative working conditions, recognizing the racism inherent in strict attendance policies, drawing on work from directed self-placement to better guide students when considering online writing classes, and advocating for readings and curricular choices that take into account the diversity of students in writing programs. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition. e-mail: cf@compositionforum.com; Web site: http://compositionforum.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01