WAC+-+In+the+Middle

After the exposure of weak writing programs on the secondary level, several studies began to investigate the validity of these claims. The work that predominately occurred throughout the 80s reinforced the prediction that there was a "literacy crisis" in America. One of the most prolific writers in this area at the time was A. N Applebee.

Most of the research by Applebee supports the statement "the kinds of things students are asked to do with written language are narrow and ultimately unproductive, having negative effects not only on students' writing abilities but also on their subject-area learning" (1982). Applebee's work, along with others, helped coin the phrase "writing to learn."

__Some of Applebee's work can be seen in the following articles:__

Applebee, A.N. (1977). "Writing across the curriculum: The London projects". //English Journal//, 66 (9), 81-85.

Applebee, A.N. (1981). //Writing in the secondary school: English and the content areas//. NCTE Research Report No.21. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.

Applebee, A.N. (1982) "Writing and learning in school settings." In M. Nystrand (Ed.), //What Writers Know: The language process, and structure of written discourse// (pp.365-381). New York: Academic Press.

Applebee, A.N., Langer, J.A., Durst, R.K., Butler-Nalin, K., Marshall, J.D., and Newell, G.E. (1984). //Contexts for learning to write: Studies of secondary school instruction//. Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

Applebee, A.N., Lehr, F., and Auten, A., (1981). "Learning to write in the secondary school: How and where." //English Journal//, 70(5), 78-82.

At the same time, Janet Emig's seminal work //The Composing Processes of Twelfth-Graders// was published by the National Council of Teachers of English. Emig's study focused on how high school students approach writing and the differences evident between reflexive and extensive writing. While not specifically focused on writing across the curriculum principles, Emig's work set the stage for the next phase of research and for the increasing WAC movement on the post-secondary level.