Date of Award

8-2013

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

College/School

College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Department/Program

English

Thesis Sponsor/Dissertation Chair/Project Chair

Melinda Knight

Committee Member

Caroline Dadas

Committee Member

Jessica Restaino

Abstract

Because the writing abilities of postsecondary students with acquired brain injuries (ABI) are often determined by the student’s age when the injury was acquired, the severity of the injury, the amount of time that has passed since the injury, and the quality of the student’s writing education before the injury, it is impossible to generalize the best strategies to assist students with ABI in writing. However, through a review of existing literature on teaching writing to students with ABI, the relationship between oral and written discourse, expressive writing, educational intervention, and assistive technologies, this study presents a list of recommendations for writing instructors. Case studies based on interviews with two students who have ABI, two writing instructors who have taught students with ABI, and one postgraduate are also included in this study as a way to identify the areas in which these personal testimonies align with or diverge from the extant research. The findings suggest that when professors interact with all students in a way that challenges them to think critically and takes their needs into consideration, they ultimately become better teachers. The adjustments they make to accommodate students with ABI-such as dividing larger assignments into manageable tasks, providing visual aids, and repeating key information-benefit all students both in and outside of their writing courses.

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