Approaches to written assignments Part I

Extensive research has been done on how important students' native language is to their whole educational experience. On the other hand, the significance of language in the evaluation of the written work of students has received a relatively low priority. In order to learn how students and faculty at a college of liberal arts and sciences approach writing projects, both groups were asked to participate in an interview. The objective was to gain an understanding of the many ways to writing that students employ, particularly when they are aware that their knowledge is insufficient for the work at hand. Additionally, the objective was to investigate the methods that teachers use to try to make sense of student writings that are often confusing with regard to the correctness of the material. When reading unclear text fragments, the teachers should be able to sometimes effectively distinguish the discipline content from the linguistic form. A few thorough examples are offered to illustrate how this might be done. This leads to a discussion on the necessity of putting an emphasis on the significance of language in education, which in turn leads to some suggestions for improving written assignments.