Realizing a New Research Agenda for Writing-to-Learn: Embedding Process in Context

Writing-to-learn initiatives such as Writing Across the Curriculum or Writing in the Disciplines occupy the center of writing programs nationwide. Nevertheless, research to support the core of the writing-to-learn philosophy--that the writing process can facilitate content learning--is, at best, inconclusive. Calls for additional research have noted the importance of either additional cognitive analyses or new contextual research methods. This paper argues for a unique research agenda that would embed cognitive processes into disciplinary contexts and thus provide a layered, multi-modal research approach into writing and learning.