Theories and Methods of Writing Center Studies A Practical Guide

This collection helps students and researchers understand the foundations of writing center studies in order to make sound decisions about the types of methods and theoretical lenses that will help them formulate and answer their research questions. In the collection, accomplished writing center researchers discuss the theories and methods that have enabled their work, providing readers with a useful and accessible guide to developing research projects that interest them and make a positive contribution. It introduces an array of theories, including genre theory, second-language acquisition theory, transfer theory, and disability theory, and guides novice and experienced researchers through the finer points of methods such as ethnography, corpus analysis, and mixed-methods research. Ideal for courses on writing center studies and pedagogy, it is essential reading for researchers and administrators in writing centers and writing across the curriculum or writing in the disciplines programs.

1. Introduction to the Collection Jo Mackiewicz and Rebecca Day Babcock Part 1:Theories 2. Vygotskyan Learning Theory John Nordlof 3. Genre Theory: A Research Approach for Understanding Learning, Agency, and Materiality in the Writing Center Layne Gordon 4. Writing Center Research and Critical Race Theory Frankie Condon, Neisha-Anne Green, and Wonderful Faison 5. Category Is… Queer Theory, Queering Research and Queerer Centers Mitch Hobza and Harry Denny 6. Bringing Feminist Theory Home Michelle Miley 7. Transfer Theory: A Guide to Transfer-focused Writing Center Research Heather N. Hill 8. Writing Center Research and Disability Theory Brenda Brueggemann and Noah Bukowski 9. Activity Theory R. Mark Hall 10. Second Language Acquisition Theories and Writing Center Research Carol Severino and Emilia Illana-Mahiques Part 2: Methods 11. Grounded Theory Rebecca Day Babcock 12. Ethnography—More or Less Kerri Jordan 13. Histories, Historiographies, and Historical Research in the Writing Center Harry Denny and Elizabeth Boquet 14. The Potential of Writing Center Case Study Research Design as Public Scholarship J. Michael Rifenburg Chapter 15. Extending Our Research: Meta-Analysis in the Writing Center Steve Price 16. Rhetorical Analysis: Choices in Exploring and Connecting Our Writing Center Studies and Stories Steven Corbett 17. Discourse Analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Conversation Analysis Terese Thonus 18. Corpus Approaches to Writing Center Research Randall Monty 19. Survey Methods for Research and Assessment in Writing Centers Lori Salem 20. Mixed Methods Research in Writing Centers Cara Marta Messina and Neal Lerner 21. Conclusion Jo Mackiewicz and Rebecca Day Babcock

Jo Mackiewicz is a professor of rhetoric and professional communication at Iowa State University. Recently, she published the books The Aboutness of Writing Center Talk and Writing Center Talk over Time. With Isabelle Thompson, she has published a number of articles about writing center discourse, as well as the book Talk about Writing, now in its second edition. Rebecca Day Babcockis the William and Ordelle Watts Professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. She also serves as director of undergraduate research. Her latest books are Writing Centers and Disability (with Sharifa Daniels) and Researching the Writing Center: Towards an Evidence-Based Practice (with Terese Thonus;revised edition).