Papers by Nancy Burkhalter
The Journal of American Culture, 1996
This research hypothesized that preformal-operational children (before age 11) can improve their ... more This research hypothesized that preformal-operational children (before age 11) can improve their ability to write persuasive essays at an age earlier than Jean Piaget's developmental stage model would predict. A Vygotskian social interactionist approach, which claims that adult intervention can help children achieve what may have seemed beyond their abilities, was used. Fourth and sixth graders (n=153) wrote two persuasive essays, with 3 weeks of instruction intervening for the experimental group. Instruction consisted of daily 45-minute lessons for 3 weeks, involving brainstorming, supporting, conferencing, and editing on different topics. The essays were evaluated on the basis of "claims," "data," and "warrants." Students in the experimental group on the whole performed better than those in the comparison group. Girls performed better across all three aspects than did boys. Of the three measures, "warrants" seemed to be the most difficult. The experimental treatment was questionable for boys on this trait, as performance of fourth grade comparison group boys was higher than that of experimental group boys. The study concludes that formal operations are not a necessary precondition for writing persuasive essays; a Vygotskian approach to the teaching of writing is supported; girls acquire formal operations sooner than boys; and girls have superior verbal abilities that allow them to perform generally better than boys at writing tasks.
Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 2015
Research Result. Theoretical and Applied Linguistics Series, 2015
Two kinds of instruments, atomistic versus holistic, offer different approaches to the grading of... more Two kinds of instruments, atomistic versus holistic, offer different approaches to the grading of writing. This paper briefly discusses the pros and cons of these two philosophies of grading. In addition, the paper presents a holistic, primary-trait scoring instrument that has been used successfully to judge editorials by breaking down the analysis into three essential components: claims, data, and warrants. The paper concludes that using this primary-trait instrument aids journalism teachers not only in pinpointing weaknesses in editorials but also in designing remedial solutions for students. Criteria for judging quality of claims, data, and warrants; two student-written editorials, are attached. (Contains 15 references.) (Author/RS)
Journalism and Mass Communication Educator, 1995
English Teaching Forum, 2011
Even though the importance of critical thinking skills has been recognized and sfludied by expert... more Even though the importance of critical thinking skills has been recognized and sfludied by experts in several fields, the research has not yielded a clear definition, nor has a clear explanation been proffered of how writing can foster critical thinking. This article reviews the literature on the various definitions of critical thinking and examines how critical thinking can be promoted through writing. Persuasive writing can especially help the acquisition of critical thinking skills because: (1) that genre calls upon several of the same higher-level thinking skills as critical thinking; (2) it forces students to think in concepts because the organizational structure requires connection of ideas through a hierarchy of thesis statements and topic sentences; and (3) it teaches writers to create their own alternatives to problems instead of merely analyzing those of others. (Contains 52 references.) (Author)
Teaching English in the Two Year College, 1999
A study examined 3 grammar teaching methods to understand why some methods may carry over into wr... more A study examined 3 grammar teaching methods to understand why some methods may carry over into writing better than others. E. Bialystok and E. B. Ryan's (1985) metacognitive model of language skills was adapted to plot traditional grammar, sentence combining, and the functional/inductive approach according to the amount of analyzed knowledge and cognitive control each method requires to raise metalinguistic awareness. In so doing, the cognitive demands asked of various kinds of writers by each method can Ld. ascertained. Research results from several studies were analyzed. Results indicated that traditional grammar is not being blended into students' writing because it requires a great deal of cognitive control and analyzed knowledge to deploy. On the other hand, neither sentence combining nor the functional/inductive approach hamstring students with multiple terms and abstract concepts to memorize. Rather, writers focus their attention on some aspect of sentence error and correction by using implicit knowledge, thus keeping the value on the analyzed knowledge axis low. Findings suggest that the highly analyzed system of traditional grammar has had limited success in carrying over into writing because: (1) its goal is to shape mental representations, necessitating an extended period of time to acquire the system; (2) control is possible only after the writer knows the system; and (3) overemphasis on that skill can undermine the production side of things.
Research in Comparative and International Education, 2010
Having gained independence in 1991, Kazakhstan is making major adjustments in its educational sys... more Having gained independence in 1991, Kazakhstan is making major adjustments in its educational system to meet the demands of its changing workplace. To that end,
International Review of Education, 2012
This paper explores the question of whether critical thinking can eventually become part of the c... more This paper explores the question of whether critical thinking can eventually become part of the cultural fabric in Kazakhstan, a country whose Soviet educational system not only trained teachers to memorise, lecture and intimidate students but also created a culture in educational institutions fraught with many fear-based behaviours engendering competitiveness, intolerance and other hostile behaviours antithetical to critical thinking and an open, democratic society. While educational reform can have profound effects on a nation, education is but one system in a complex network of governmental and cultural systems, and change must be borne by many. This paper reviews literature and presents qualitative data gathered through interviews with Soviet-trained teachers. The authors recommend that teachers should embrace student-centred techniques and critical thinking methodologies, as well as shift from a fear-based, authoritarian, top-down system of relating to students and colleagues to one of cooperation, openness and fairness. Such a reform will take repetitive, intensive and experiential training as well as regular assessments of progress.
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Papers by Nancy Burkhalter