Analyzing Student?s Constructs of Writing Through Reflections on Their Drafts

Abstract

• Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore first-year college students’ conceptions of their own drafts-in-progress in order to identify underlying knowledge and perspectives that are assumed (and should be intentionally taught and scaffolded) in the transition from high school to college. The project was designed to analyze students’ reflections for the extent to which they saw their drafts as completed or under continued revision, as well as their focus on ideas, audience-related concerns, or textual characteristics. The study was primarily heuristic, with the goal of provoking further research about students’ constructs of their writing while offering useful information for both college and high school teachers about areas of student learning relating to their conceptions of their own writing that need attention.