Date of Award
Fall 12-16-2014
Degree Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Professional Writing (MAPW)
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Beth Daniell
Co-Chair
Dr. Letizia Guglielmo
Abstract
Students learn at deeper levels when engaged with their work; however, engaging students in writing is one of the biggest challenges all composition teachers face. This qualitative study asked Kennesaw State University students to describe the work in English 1101 and English 1102 that they found meaningful and engaging. The data collected was then aligned with research about engaging students in grades K-12 based on the work of Phillip Schlechty. Results from this study reveal that many of the same engagement qualities identified by Schlechty have application in the FYC classroom for engaging students and improving learning.