Memo #3

        In order to discover the positive correlation between writing centers and improved student writing, I will use multiple primary sources. I will first be interviewing Professor Griggs, who is the director of the writing center here at RIC. I will asked her questions such as: How do you measure success at the writing center? What evidence shows that the writing center is beneficial to students who use it? Do you believe writing centers can be just as effective at a secondary level and why? Etc. I will also interview a first year tutor at RIC’s writing center in order to learn how their writing has or has not improved since they started working as a tutor. I will ask questions such as: Have you noticed an improvement in your own writing since working at the writing center? Have you worked with certain clients exclusively? Have you noticed these clients improve their writing over a period of time? How so? Do you think the writing center is helpful for all students who use it? Etc. Additionally, I will interview a repeating client at RIC’s writing center to find out if visiting the center has helped them improve their writing. I will ask questions such as: How often do you visit the writing center? Has working with a peer tutor helped you to improve your writing? In what way? Do you think working with a tutor your own age is more helpful versus getting help from a professor? What are the pros and cons of the writing center? Do you think having a writing center available to you in high school would have been beneficial? Why? Etc. Although this is a college writing center and not a high school writing center, it still aligns with my burning question which is whether or not writing centers create better writers. However, in order to still keep my focus on the secondary level, I will conduct additional interviews with the director of the writing center at North Providence High School. The writing center at NPHS is fairly new, so I would like to learn if there is a noticed difference in improved writing since the center has been in place. I will ask questions such as: How is the writing center run? (Appointments, walk-ins, hiring process, etc.) How do you encourage students to use the writing center? Do you see a wide variety of students using the center, or is it mostly the same people time after time? How do you know that the writing center is helping to improve the writing of the students who use the center? Do you think peer tutors are also improving their writing by working one on one with their peers? I will also interview one or more of the peer tutors to hear their opinion on the writing center and hear testimony to why or why not the writing center is beneficial to both students who work there and students who use the center as a resource. I will ask questions such as: When did you start working as a tutor? What takes place during a typical session? Do you see an improvement in the students writing that you have worked with over time? In what other ways do students benefit from using this writing center? Do you think other high schools should implement writing centers? Why? Do you think your own writing has improved from working as a peer tutor? Etc.  

            As far as secondary sources, I will use a database from the RIC library catalog. I will also use sources that Professor Griggs has on file that advocate for writing centers and explain and prove why they are important. I will be looking for sources that not only advocate for writing centers, but that show evidence that they are indeed critical in improving students writing. I want to hear from the experts on what about writing centers makes them so beneficial for students. I want to learn exactly what about peer tutors makes them so effective to teaching other students. I will compare the findings in my secondary sources to my information gathered from my primary sources and come to a conclusion of my findings.