Expanding composition's scope: Community-based literacy and second-language writing

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.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	American English
Awarding Institution	Eastern Illinois University
Supervisor	Terri A. Fredrick (Supervisor)