Writing and the Prospective English Teacher [microform] / Edward R. Fagan

As part of a study of the basic skills of secondary level education students, a study was conducted at Pennsylvania State University of the writing ability of prospective secondary level teachers. Raters holistically scored writing samples of 43 preservice teachers of English, mathematics, science and social studies. When writing scores of all four groups were examined in a correlational matrix, science and English teachers were in the top group with the science teachers outscoring the English teachers slightly and mathematics teachers were next with social studies teachers scoring the lowest. Writers who scored in the top half of the holistic scale displayed focus, organization, and coherence in their papers; the poor writers tended to be disorganized and prone to technical and mechanical errors. The findings revealed that of the 43 subjects, four needed some counseling and remediation and eight needed an intensive review of writing fundamentals. (MKM)