What happens when basic writers come to college?

Bizzell, Patricia, 1986, "What Happens When Basic Writers Come to College", College Composition and Communication, vol. 37, No. 3, October, pp. 294 - 301

What are basic writers? why do they come to college? is college in US like university in Australia? what are basic writers in Australia? what changes? who changes?

• basic writer - "outlander"; most alien to college community

Three major problems experienced by the basic writer at college.

1. "clash of dialects" - the problem of a preferred academic dialect (Standard English) - how something is said v. what is said.
   - go with the majority to get ahead
   - lose focus on learning when dealing with language barrier


2. "discourse conventions" - familiar form of discourse not academically acceptable. To what extent just a surface feature, to what extent does the form of discourse generate different thoughts.
   - go with the majority to get ahead
   - address how discourse influences thought, change criteria for success in college


3. ways of thinking - incapable of college-level thought?
   - correct cognitive 'dysfunctions' (normalise - go with majority to get ahead)
   - don't risk ignoring cultural differences, stigmatising basic writers

• Thinking of difficulties faced by basic writer in terms of only one of these problems is a narrow approach. Thinking in terms of college as a language community sets a relationship between dialect, discourse and ways of thinking which constitute a particular world view.
  - by learning dialect and discourse conventions - new world view is acquired
  - puts difficulties into another perspective: distance between world views; resistance to change

To understand difficulties, need to ask three questions:

1. What world views are brought to college
   - necessary to identify class and other factors sufficiently to form a hypothesis


2. What is the world view demanded in college
   - Perry: the world is seen as a place where there are no 'Absolutes'; critical evaluations are made which result in 'Commitments'


3. Does old world view need to be discarded in order to learn new world view
   - difficulties in maintaining old WV with the dominant academic WV
   - privileged, more powerful position in society of academic world view can be turned to advantage
   - Perry's nature of 'Commitment' - not autonomous, necessary to connect with like-minded groups for 'Commitment' to be realised, to maintain individual integrity. Maintaining ties with old world view is part of mastering the academic world view.

Adopting academic world view has difficulties which vary according to background of student. Acquisition of academic world view by the student reaps its rewards.