The Coaching Corner Online Edition
Volume 3, Number 1 - Fall 2006
Our third issue of The Coaching Corner newsletter is now online. The goal of the newsletter remains the same: to share research, tips and techniques for journalism students and educators engaged in the teaching of writing. We welcome feedback and suggestions for future issues. We also encourage fellow educators to submit column ideas, essays and research for us to post on this site.
Journalism Writing Center Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
The Journalism Writing Center (JWC) in the Department of Journalism at Ball State University was established five years ago thanks to a grant by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The dual mission of the JWC is to enhance the retention of at-risk students and to address the fundamental need for improved writing and language usage skills across the curriculum. Since the fall of 2001, more than 650 students have received coaching in the writing center, and approximately 1,300 appointments have been conducted. These sessions have ranged from helping undergraduate students from the department’s seven sequences prepare for the 100-question (grammar and usage) Entry Skills Test to providing international graduate students with guidance on story structure and style issues.
The JWC has succeeded thanks to the talents and dedication of an impressive group of graduate (peer) student writing coaches and their rapport with fellow students and faculty. Each year the coaches continue to receive high evaluations from students and referrals from faculty. On average, more than 95 percent of student clients have reported that their coaching sessions were “helpful, very helpful or better than expected.” Graduate student writing coaches who have served the journalism department since fall 2001 include Kimberly Jana, Noelle Bowman, Josh Saylor, Tara Gerber, Melissa Cordial, Tamra Andis, Stephanie Miller, Rachael Cook and Todd Taylor. The Department of Journalism thanks these coaches for their service to the JWC.
The Journalism Writing Center completed another successful year in serving almost 100 students and more than a dozen faculty in the Department of Journalism. The report includes summary statistics on coaching sessions, student evaluations and analysis of Entry Skills Test results for fall and spring semesters. In addition the JWC report details the coaching of at-risk students. Remedial sessions with those students who failed the Entry Skills Test on their first attempt and came to the JWC for coaching have had a significant impact. In 2005-06, 19 at-risk students received tutoring in the JWC. Eighteen of the 19 students raised their Entry Skills Test scores by an average of 14 points on the subsequent retake.
Coaching International Students
Journalism Writing Center coach Todd Taylor worked regularly with several international students to assist them in enhancing their writing skills. Based on these interactions, Taylor has compiled a number of observations and recommendations. His suggestions include ….
Structure: Roadmap to Successful Storytelling
Architects rely on blueprints. Coaches design game plans. Directors use storyboards. But too often writers operate without a sense of structure. They act like the foolish or stubborn driver who refuses to consult a map or ask for directions. The result is often the same: a frustrating, confusing and unproductive journey.
Successful authors know that structure and organization are required to craft clear, coherent and compelling stories. They love to talk about their models and methods. Most importantly, they take the time early in the writing process to ask the tough questions, to analyze their material, and to utilize the most appropriate story structure. In this article for The Writer magazine, Professor Mark H. Massé, JWC director, shares tips and techniques to enhance storytelling.
He Said, She said: A National Study of Gender Differences in the Teaching of Writing
Does gender make a difference in the teaching of writing? How do men and women compare in their pedagogical attitudes and practices? Research findings from a comprehensive national study of journalism educators reveal modest differences between men and women regarding their teaching attitudes and techniques. But results also indicate elements of feminist pedagogy exist in dealing with student writing problems as women writing instructors employ a higher percentage of coaching techniques in the classroom.
A Study of Media Student Writing Apprehension
In this follow-up study of introductory media writing students at a Midwestern university, Department of Journalism professors Mark N. Popovich and Mark H. Massé studied how attitudes toward writing changed from the beginning of a fall semester until its conclusion. Q Methodology was used to replicate studies of writing apprehension conducted by researchers Riffe and Stacks in 1988 and 1992. By providing a personalized (subjective) measure of attitudes, Q Methodology enabled researchers to conduct an individual assessment of attitudes as opposed to analyzing group norms, as in previous research on the phenomenon of writing apprehension.
This research replicated the methodology used in an earlier pilot study conducted during a summer session with a limited number of students. The expanded study revealed more in-depth information on two Factors of students: Optimists/Professionals and Doubters/Pessimists. After a 16-week semester, the Optimists/Professionals remained very positive about writing and the relevance of writing skills. By contrast, the Doubters/Pessimists grew even more negative toward the writing experience. The findings offer writing instructors insight into the mindset of a critical group of journalism and communication students—those in introductory media writing classes.
Contributors
If you are interested in contributing an article, column or research study to The Coaching Corner, we are eager to hear from you. Please contact Professor Mark H. Massé, director, Journalism Writing Center, at 765-285-8222 or mhmasse@bsu.edu.
Our Mission
The mission of the Journalism Writing Center is to help students to understand journalistic writing techniques. Our goal is to help students to become more insightful, concise and resourceful writers. Coaches offer individualized instruction to students in all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming to editing.
Our Staff
Journalism Writing Center coaches include graduate students who are trained to understand students’ questions and concerns about researching, writing and editing news stories and other types of media writing.
Contact the JWC
The Journalism Writing Center is located in room 382, Art and Journalism Building, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306-0485. Telephone: 765-285-7412.
E-mail: mhmasse@bsu.edu.