FEEDBACK AND REVISION IN WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM CLASSES

Most studies dealing with feedback and revision focus on teachers and students in composition courses. However, there is insufficient eviden ce for assuming that these studies are applicable to writing situation s in non-composition courses. To investigate the writing processes of non-composition students, this study describes patterns of feedback an d revision in four writing across the curriculum (WAC) courses. The fi rst and final drafts of 20 WAC students were analyzed by a team of rea ders to determine the following: 1) the apparent aims and criteria und erlying the feedback they received on first drafts; 2) the extent to w hich the students utilized this feedback while revising; 3) the criter ia most affected by the revisions; and 4) the extent of the revisions. Several patterns that emerged in this study resemble those found in r esearch involving composition classrooms, although there are some diff erences as well. The study also highlights several issues for future r esearch, including the source of a writer's or reader's criteria for e ffective writing and the comparative value of global and non-global re visions.