Bridging the Gap: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Encourage Developmental Writers — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Bridging the Gap: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Encourage Developmental Writers

Name: Kert Acklam
Major: M.Ed. English
Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, WI
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Course project
Funding: Provost's office and the SI and Tutoring Program

Abstract

In recent years, Higher Education has seen a dramatic rise in the number of adult learners requiring remedial courses. A question now incumbent upon all educators is how we can bridge the gap between lack of student readiness and the goal of collegiate success. I have taken the eight principles of Appreciative Inquiry and applied them to creating my own curriculum for developmental English. Tenured professors at most colleges and universities have neither the time nor the expertise to deal with the new "kind" of developmental education student of today.

The method selected to address this disjuncture was based on research of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), used to develop curriculum which is deliberate and intentional in its purpose to create "textured vocabularies of hope" (Ludema, 1997). The eight core principles of Appreciative Inquiry have been applied: Constructivist, Collaborative, Anticipatory, Provocative, Poetic, Positive, Simultaneous, and Pragmatic, to create lesson plans and an eight-week unit which connects the developmental student to learning by promoting hope's four enduring qualities--relationship, imagination through influence-optimism, dialogue about ultimate concerns, and reproduction in others.

Recommendations resulting from this research include using Appreciative Inquiry in Developmental Adult Education courses to assist in retention efforts of the institution of learning and to provide students with the AI vocabulary of hope and tools they will need to be successful in college courses and in life.