The Meaningful Writing Project is currently at work on a new book to be published by the Teaching, Engaging, and Thriving in Higher Ed Series at The University of Oklahoma Press.
Read a recent article from this study, “The Power of Personal Connection for Undergraduate Student Writers,” in Research in the Teaching of English (V53 n4 May 2019).
Our first book, The Meaningful Writing Project: Learning, Teaching, and Writing in Higher Education, is available for purchase from Utah State University Press.
Several trends emerged from the research: The majority of students noted that meaningful writing projects were something they had never done before but that they felt would be connected to the writing they would do as professionals. Also meaningful were writing projects that were connected to students’ lives and interests beyond school, as well as writing projects that helped them learn or explore course content more deeply. Finally, a key implication for teaching is that meaningful writing projects frequently had requirements but also offered students considerable choice in topic or approach.
Read a review of the book from The Chronicle of Higher Education — “Will They Remember Writing It?”
Also, an article from this study is available online in the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) magazine Peer Review. “What Meaningful Writing Means for Students” appears in a 2017 issue on New Frontiers in Writing. Read the article and see the infographic here.
