Abstract:
This study examines the process of response and revision for students and their
instructors in first-year composition. Drawing on extensive scholarship that describes both the
importance of response for student growth as writers (Bazerman & Tinberg, 2015; Brooke &
Carr, 2015; Downs, 2015; Probst, 1989; Rose, 2015) as well as the potential downfalls and
misunderstandings throughout this process (Bardine, Bardine, & Deegan, 2000; Brannon &
Knoblauch, 1982; Dohrer, 1991; Sommers, 1982; Straub, 1997; Straub & Lunsford, 1995), I
conducted a mixed method study that looks more closely at student and instructor perspectives
throughout this process and reveals moments of disconnect, confusion, and frustration that can
thwart the positive effects of response. I provide detailed quantitative and qualitative data,
focusing primarily on a multiple case study surrounding seven first-year composition students
and their instructors. Findings for this study support the claim that the process of response and
revision is complex, filled with potential moments of disconnect that stem from differing
perspectives, interpretations, experiences, and values. I also argue that the larger context of the
composition classroom is critical to the way that instructors and students interpret response.
