Graduate Program

English

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

2008

Thesis Director

Terri Fredrick

Thesis Committee Member

Daiva Markelis

Thesis Committee Member

Timothy Shonk

Abstract

There is little research from either Composition Studies or Second-Language Studies on the development of writing competence among English language learners, paiiicularly adult learners outside academia. In response to this need, I conducted a case study of a small group of Spanish-native speakers as they learned English through a volunteer-based community program in a small Midwestern town. This project establishes the role writing plays in a community of second-language learners-primarily motivated by economic factors to learn English-and it shows ways in which the development of writing competence can enhance overall language proficiency. Also, this study calls for further research in community education settings while it challenges practitioners in the fields of Composition and Second-Language Studies to expand their disciplinary focus to include second-language writing.

Download

Share

COinS