Program or Course
Doctor of Arts in English Pedagogy
Academic Level at Time of Creation
Graduate
Date of Creation
Spring 4-26-2019
Abstract
This project relates research-based efforts to develop a context-sensitive collaborative plan for instructors of English composition at the high school and college levels, providing a model for professional development and cross-border conversations among writing educators. Adapted from the “twin towns” or “sister cities” arrangements forged between municipalities in different countries with the purpose of strengthening relationships and promoting cultural understanding, this plan targets the cultural differences between high school and college instructors as a step toward incremental improvement implemented by educators themselves. The literature review establishes the cultural divide, describing the divide through discourse and practice, identifies effective practices for collaborative efforts in English composition, and explores the question of writing goals. The author then conducts primary mixed methods research into a specific context via student surveys, instructor surveys, and instructor interviews at two institutions in the Ohio River Valley region. The data from the literature review and gathered site data are used to develop a context-sensitive collaborative plan that would individually pair high school and college English instructors in a region through a sustained series of in-person and electronically mediated meetings, exchanging information on the differences in professional culture between the levels of schooling with the purpose of helping students through informed adaptation of teaching practices.
Recommended Citation
Garrett, Zachary, "Twin Teachers: Advancing Understanding Among Secondary and Post-Secondary Composition Instructors Through Individual Connections" (2019). Student Scholarship & Creative Works. 11.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/sscw/11