Increasing numbers of foreign-born immigrant students are graduating from American high schools and pursuing higher education. The term "Generation 1.5" may be used to describe this student population, indicating their transitional status in terms of both English language learning and sociocultural identity. Although English may be the language of such students' academic literacy, they face many unique challenges at the university level, particularly within the composition classroom. Recent scholarship indicates that Generation 1.5 performs lower in college and has less control over writing processes than international students. One tool available to assist these students in the composition classroom is the university writing center (WC), but there is currently little research to validate popular WC pedagogy with Generation 1.5.
This exploratory study investigates the shape, content, and significance of writing center tutorials by observing five immigrant students paired with five writing center tutors over the course of six weeks. This study attempts to determine the degree to which a student's sociolinguistic and educational background shaped the tutorials. The study also attempts to locate when and how frequently tutors assist Generation 1.5 students in understanding and utilizing the writing process, as well as to establish common tutor practices with these students.
Analysis and comparison of the five case studies suggest that knowledge of students' sociolinguistic and educational background is neither being discussed nor fully utilized in WC tutorials. Moreover, although tutors' practices are closely aligned with current WC pedagogy, these methods may not be flexible enough to meet the specific needs of Generation 1.5. Accordingly, this study also discusses possible implications for the training of tutors to increase the efficacy of WC practices.