| This descriptive exploratory study investigates the status of Computers and Composition in English studies through the eyes of writing teachers and writing program administrators. I proffer that one significant way to determine where Computers and Composition stands in the profession was to rely on the expressed concerns and perceptions of willing participants from English/writing programs across the United States. As a result, generalizibility is limited to the concerns and perceptions about computer integration into composition as expressed by the participants.; The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), developed by Hall et al., provided a methodological framework for determining the concerns, attitudes, and experiences of people toward the use of instructional technology. The Stages of Concern Questionnaire (SoCQ) and the Change Facilitator Stages of Concern Questionnaire (CFSoCQ) components of the CBAM provided the vehicle for gathering data for this study. Data from the questionnaires, the open-ended questions, which provided triangulation, and the demographic/supplemental items added to the instruments yielded descriptive information to address the five research questions listed below: (1) What are the concerns of writing teachers about using computers for writing instruction? (2) What are the concerns of writing program administrators about using computers for writing instruction? (3) Are there significant differences in the Stages of Concern between writing teachers and writing program administrators? (4) What concerns appear most prevalent in preventing writing teachers from integrating computers for instruction? (5) What concerns appear most prevalent for encouraging writing teachers to integrate computers for instruction?; Based on these questions, this study shows that despite the computer's entry into English studies almost 23 years ago, writing teachers have a tremendous desire to work with their colleagues and administrators to learn about the integration process. However, the actual integration process seems beset with problems from writing program administrators' preference for focusing on writing facilitation rather than on computer facilitation to logistical constraints—time, training, and support. This study seems to answer the question why only a few writing teachers have embraced the computer for pedagogical purposes. |
