Here are some of the differences between the graduates and the new students:
GRADUATE STUDENTS:
- According to the year of entrance to the program, the graduate students entered between the years 2008 and 2011.
- #2: The graduate students had a main goal after earning their Master's. They said, " Continue teaching English, develop writing curricula and other programs. Become an adjunct at a local college. Other goals would be working as a writer for magazines, newspapers, TV/Radio studios." Seems like long-term goals to expand their writing ability.
- #3: The graduates explained what courses were the most useful and a lot agreed on Grant writing and the Thesis seminar.
- #4: Only 2 responses were given, both wanting more of creative writing courses intertwined with personal research.
- #5: Graduate students strongly agreed on: "I am confident in my writing ability, I am comfortable that I can write an essay that is at least 25 pages long." They also agreed on the fifth note on the chart.
- #6: Theorists- Many graduates know Peter Elbow the most compared to other theorists.
- #7: Research Paradigms: Graduate students filled out more of the Social Constructivist column and then the second would be the Pragmatic.
- #8: Graduate students named different practices for both qualitative and quantitative- more in depth. For example: They mentioned Surveys, case studies, observations, ethnography, interviews, text analysis, etc..
- #9: Pedagogical approaches for teaching writing: Graduate students used different methods such as engaging students with collaborative writing, free writing- both personalized (from the writers heart) and cognitive
NEW STUDENTS:
- New students entered the program in 2012, a couple years later compared to some of the graduate students or just a year later.
- #2: New students were opened to options such as becoming an adjunct professor and both graduate as well as new students focus on teaching.
- #3: New students found Grant writing, research methods, other English classes the most useful for them. Grant writing is popular between both the graduate and new students.
- #4: New students didn't mention many courses that could be added to the program other than Gender and writing and equivalent class to Structure and Origin of the English language.
- #5: New students agreed the most on, " I have many ideas of how writing in teaching and learning." But the mean that was low (1.75) compared to the other means, "I am confident in my writing ability."
- #6: New students had a misconception of who John Dewey is and only 33% knew Peter Elbow, which is introduced in creative writing classes.
- #7: Research Paradigms: New students didn't know about the 4 paradigms of research compared to the graduate students who in a way seem confident.
- #8: New students listed more practices quantitative opposed to qualitative. For example: they mentioned observations, work sample,rubic and for qualitative they mentioned surveys and interviews.
- #9: New students didn't know how to describe the different pedagogical approaches for teaching writing opposed to the graduate students.
The program is effective in its objectives, I think the new students aren't really aware of what the program will be like or consist of such as the different theorists, approaches for teaching writing and paradigms. I think the program should elaborate more on what to expect when entering and what to expect from leaving. When the graduate students filled out this survey, they were aware of all the different things that they were able to retain and apply it to their work field which ever that may be. New students won't feel confident in their writing at first, but being in the program they will develop that confidence once leaving the program as a graduate student.
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