Writing Centre Development
TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVES ON WRITING CENTERS: SURVEYING INSTITUTIONS AND SHARING PRACTICES TO DEVELOP SITUATED WRITING SUPPORT
1 2 3 Pam Bromley , Andrea Scott , Ruth Bonazza
1
Pomona College, Claremont, California, USA Pitzer College, Claremont, California, USA 3 Universität Osnabrück, RuhrUniversität Bochum 2
While there is significant common ground in their scholarship and pedagogy, writing centers across the globe are distinct, operating in different academic contexts, languages and research traditions. This topic has been addressed in articles exploring the influence of the dominant AngloAmerican model on writing center scholarship and practice (e.g., Harbord, 2010; Donahue, 2009; Macgilchrist & Girgensohn, 2011; Ruhmann, 2005). However, to date there have been no systematic investigations into the work of international writing centers, in particular writing centers in Germanspeaking countries, some of the oldest and by far the largest group of nonAngloAmerican centers. Collating this information could help us to better understand the varieties and work of international writing centers, which could then inform and inspire both future research and center development. This symposium will share preliminary results from three empirical, crossinstitutional studies, encouraging attendees to reflect on and discuss the question: how can exploring and sharing different writing support traditions lead to the development of relevant and situated writing support? * See also Abstract Submission Form GuidelinesPam Bromley of Pomona College shares preliminary survey results from the International Writing Centers Research Project, which solicited responses from over 500 nonU.S. writing centers. Asking many of the same questions as the U.S.based Writing Centers Research Project and the WPA Census, these findings show ways in which international writing centers both differ from and are similar to U.S. centers. Andrea Scott of Pitzer College tests the universality of what GrutschMcKinney calls the "writing center grand narrative,” or stories writing centers tell about themselves to consolidate their identities (2013, p. 3). Results from a preliminary survey of writing center professionals in Germanspeaking countries suggest this influential theory needs to be qualified, because those surveyed offer more capacious and diverse definitions of writing centers than their U.S. counterparts.Ruth Bonazza of Osnabrueck University presents findings from a project mapping L2 writing support services, particularly writing centers, in German universities. Using data from questionnaires and interviews with 9 L2 writing support services, this presentation also shares the experiences that some participants had in negotiating writing support models predominantly developed for English L1 contexts.
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