Date

2022-12

Keyword

self-efficacy, writing intensive, first-year writing, writing program, workplace writing, graduate school writing

Author

Donovan, Kimberly

Description

One goal of college education is to ensure that graduates can meet the writing demands of the workplace and further education. The purpose of this study was to determine if UNH Manchester is preparing students to write effectively in their careers and in graduate education. Data were collected from respondents who rated themselves on 20 statements about writing self-efficacy in their current position as a worker or a graduate student on a 10 point Likert type scale; additionally, 13 demographic questions were answered. Cross­tabulation and statistical tests of difference were performed on the data to reveal the relationship between undergraduate writing experiences and current perceptions of the graduates' as writers on the job or in graduate school. The researcher found that respondents perceived themselves as strong writers in the workplace or at graduate school, suggesting that they have been prepared by their undergraduate writing instruction. They perceived themselves as very skilled at managing overt physical ills while writing, yet unskilled at managing disruptions while writing, Respondents who took first-year writing as part of their UNH Manchester writing intensive course sequence had higher self-efficacy scores, which indicates they perceive themselves as more effective writers. These results suggest that while UNH Manchester is preparing most students to be effective writers, the writing program can devise improvements to the writing intensive course sequence to address the needs described in the study.

URI

https://summit.plymouth.edu/handle/20.500.12774/451