Date of Award
Summer 2022
Project Type
Dissertation
Program or Major
English
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
First Advisor
Christina Ortmeier-Hooper
Second Advisor
Cristy Beemer
Third Advisor
Alecia Magnifico
Abstract
In 2022, COVID-19 has disrupted the academic experience of students, including students access to writing support. The importance of the support universities offer and that students are able to access has greatly increased as offerings and circumstances shift and change. Students seeking support may turn to university-sponsored services but if those do not fit student needs, students may rely on informal supports, including friends and family. While investigating the gaps in university-sponsored writing support first-year students experience, I explore how first-year students understand what writing support is, how available/accessible it is to them, and why students return to a form of support. This IRB-approved two-part study consists of a survey and student interviews. By gathering data on institutional gaps and student-generated alternatives, I demonstrate the need for more critical qualitative evaluation of supports and argue for the incorporation of student narratives into formal annual reports. I conclude with recommendations for writing center directors, first-year writing instructors, and university administrators to better support student writing practices.
Recommended Citation
Clark-Barnes, Alicia, "First-Year Students and Writing Support: Learning from Student Choices" (2022). Doctoral Dissertations. 2713.
https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2713