Research in the Teaching of English: Some Observations and Questions.

The spring of 1977 marked the tenth anniversary of NCTE's Research in the Teaching of English. A systematic survey of the ten complete volumes that have been published to date provides background for some observations and questions about the current status of research as it relates to English education. The first ten volumes of RTE contain 176 articles, excluding bibliographies, announcements, and letters to the editor. Fifty-three (30%) of these articles deal with various aspects of teaching English at the secondary level. Thirty-seven (21%) deal with elementary and preschool language arts, and 30 (17%) deal with research at the college level. Less than a half-dozen of these deal specifically with the preparation of English teachers. Some studies deal with multiple grade levels and some are not classifiable by grade level. Sixty-eight (30%) of the 176 articles deal with pupil characteristics (abilities, attitudes, etc.). Twenty-five (14%) deal with teaching method, and 22 (12.5%) deal with curriculum and materials. Sixteen (9%) deal with evaluation method, and an equal number with research method. Categorized another way, 51 (29%) of the articles focus on composition, 43 (24%) on language, and 27 (15%) on literature. Twenty-one articles (12%) focus on reading, while only one focuses on non-print media. Likewise, only one article focuses on drama. While the studies reported represent a variety of research designs, almost half (81) of them can be classified as basically descriptive (only six of these are case studies). Twenty-four of the remaining studies are quasi-experimental, while only six meet the more exacting demands of true experimental studies. Only one historical study was published in the ten-year period. More than two-thirds (124) of the articles were written by a single author, and almost nine-tenths (152) were written by persons affiliated with colleges and universities. Relatively few articles were written by persons affiliated with secondary or elementary schools. A comparison of volumes 1-6, edited by Richard Barddock, with volumes 7-10, edited by Alan Purves, shows a decline in the latter volumes in percentages of articles dealing with curriculum, teaching method, and evaluation method and an increase in articles dealing with pupil characteristics and research method. There is also a slight decline in the percentage of articles dealing with composition and a noticeable increase in articles dealing with various aspects of