MY BLOG POST FOR 10/5 WED

Based on the articles/other sources I found, it seems that there really was a dearth of dissertations (from ProQuest) when it comes to ‘grammar improving writing’ – a category I assigned for articles which relate the benefits of teaching grammar in composition classes as well as some of its effective rhetorical pedagogy. I surmised that this could signal what has been a movement away from grammar prevalent in the mid-80s, what with NCTE’s resolution that teaching mechanical grammar is not relevant to students at all. Conversely, I found a lot of journal articles that argue FOR the effectivity of grammar instruction in writing. I thought there seems to be ‘something going on there’, a ‘gap’ that reflects differing opinions about this subject so that absolutely doing away with grammar seems easier said than done. My sampling of bibliographic lists on this subject might indeed signify something about current pedagogical composition practices.

I am entertaining a shift in my focus for this study. Though I still want to work on grammar and its integration with rhetorical pedagogy (a la Bakhtin), I want to explore more on how technology could help usher in a comeback of grammar instruction (or does it actually ‘worsen’ students’ writing proficiency because of the proliferation of technological practices like emails, blogs, etc?). Could it be that most compositionists, writing instructors, etc leave out grammar because it proves to be inconvenient or too traditional in this postmodern age? By investigating more on the role of technology in grammar instruction in composition classes, I might be led to a more promising direction for this research. As always, your suggestions and insights are valuable.

At this point, am willing to take a stab in search for the Holy Grail…

florence
researcher05