Measures of Proficiency in Writing

Bowdoin's curriculum places a strong emphasis on the improvement of students' writing skills, particularly their ability to read texts effectively and write prose that is carefully organized, concise and firmly based upon evidence. Efforts to assess students' writing have been focused on students' self-perception of their writing abilities when they enter Bowdoin and when they graduate from Bowdoin as well as their intervening transition to college-level writing. The purposes of these research projects have been to learn which aspects of students' academic experiences facilitate confidence in their writing ability and to what extent students' perception of their writing improves.

Relevant Surveys


1. Spring 2005 Survey of Students About Skill Confidence and Learning Support

The purposes of this survey are to learn about the experiences of students and assess the impact of numerous programs and services intended to support and enhance students' learning and development. It focuses on skill confidence and learning support related to three academic support services available to students; The Writing Project, the Quantitative Skills Program and the Baldwin Center.

Survey Instrument
Survey Report


2. Fall 2000 CIRP Freshman Survey

The Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) is a national longitudinal study of the American higher education system. Established in 1966 at the American Council on Education, the CIRP is now administered by the Higher Education Research Institute. The CIRP is the nation's largest and oldest empirical study of higher education, involving data on some 1,800 institutions and over 11 million students. It is regarded as the most comprehensive source of information on college students. The complete Fall 2004 CIRP Freshman Survey is available here. Selected questions related to writing from the Fall 2000 CIRP Freshman Survey are as follows.

Survey Instrument (questions on Fall 2000 CIRP Freshman Survey related to writing)

    Do you feel you will need any special tutoring or remedial work in any of
    the following subjects?
    Writing

    Rate yourself on each of the following traits as compared with the average
    person your age. We want the most accurate estimate of how you see
    yourself.
    [Highest 10%, Above Average, Average, Below Average, Lowest 10%]
    Writing ability

Survey Report (responses to questions above)

    Fall 2000 CIRP Freshman Survey, questions related to writing


3. Survey of First-Year Students 2000

Conducted annually, the First-Year Survey includes one or more questions about students' level of confidence in their writing abilities.

Survey Instrument (question on Survey of First-Year Students 2000 related to writing)

    Please rate your level of confidence in the following areas as you begin your
    college career at Bowdoin.
    Being successful in writing courses

Survey Report (response to question above)

    Survey of First-Year Students 2000, question related to writing


4. Survey of Seniors 2004

Conducted annually, the senior survey includes a section that measures graduating seniors' confidence in their ability to write. The questions are as follows.

Survey Instrument (questions on Survey of Seniors 2004 related to writing)

    How confident are you in your current ability to:
    1. clearly convey your thoughts in writing
    2. effectively convey an argument in writing
    3. write with creativity and imagination
    4. recognize a paper that is poorly written

Survey Report (responses to questions above)

    Survey of Seniors 2004, questions related to writing


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Maintained by Margaret Allen, Bowdoin College Office of Institutional Research
Last Update: October 11, 2005
E-mail: mallen2@bowdoin.edu