The process theory of composition
Critiques of Process
Critiques of Process
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Thomas Kent argues that process theories insist, “writing can be captured by a generalized process or a Big Theory,” and that process theory makes three central claims about writing: “(1\) writing is private; (2\) writing is not up for interpretation; and (3\) writing can, and should be, highly organized.” Kent, Thomas. "Post\-Process Theory: Beyond the Writing Process Paradigm." Southern Illinois University: 1999\.

When writing is conceived of and taught as a prescriptive and generalizable “process,” according to Gary Olson, useful implications arise in the creation of a Theory of Writing, a master narrative that attempts to “systematize something that simply is not susceptible to systematization.” 

Similarly, George Pullman positions the writing process movement as a rhetorical narrative, positioned in history as a result of writing as an undervalued, utilitarian skill that could be universally transmitted in higher education (17\). This emerged from “current traditional rhetoric” that originated at [Harvard](/wiki/Harvard_University "Harvard University") in the 1880s and peaked in the late 1960s. Writing became a highly scientific affair, rooted exclusively in empirical observation. Post\-process theorists argue, however, that if the writing process “were really the way all successful writers write regardless of context, then unless all writing is somehow supportive of a single ideological system, there would be no obfuscatory ideological baggage attending the process."

Theorists continue to discuss pedagogical and systemic implications of both process and post\-process approaches to composition.

Process theorists themselves have had to identify and work around certain constraints the process method brings with it; namely:

### Constraints for students

If papers are not graded throughout the semester, students don't have any idea of the grade they are earning. Also, students might not be inclined to take control of the class content and decide what they want to explore; they may expect the instructor to provide material for them. Additionally, students may not improve their grammar and other writing conventions if content is emphasized over form.

### Constraints for composition instructors

Composition classes are often overfilled, so instructors have to spend much of their time reading through drafts. Power can also be a struggle, for if student grades depend on a portfolio, then instructors have to find ways of encouraging and/or enforcing attendance. And if there are no rules as to what students may and may not write about, instructors have to be well\-versed in a variety of discourses and ready to deal with conflict that may arise when two or more discourses meet (sometimes called a [contact zone](/wiki/Contact_zone "Contact zone")). Instructors must also find ways to encourage each student to explore and bring content to the course and must deal with diversity and a range of opinions on what should be done in the course.

Process rose to prominence in composition classrooms during the late 1960s and enjoyed its status as the gold standard method of teaching through the 1980s and into the 1990s. Many of its tenets are still used today; however, its popularity and methods have brought criticism from different composition theorists, such as [post\-process](/wiki/Post-process_%28theory_of_composition%29 "Post-process (theory of composition)") theorists, who charge that:
* Process theory is rules\-oriented just like the current\-traditional method it had sought to escape.Tobin, Lad. "Process Pedagogy." A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. Ed. Tate, et al. Oxford UP: 2001\.
* It doesn't teach basic skills and conventions (grammar, style, etc.).
* It doesn't acknowledge issues of race/class/gender because it was so focused on the writer's language and experience.
* It doesn't recognize the significance of context, again because it was focused on the writer's experience.

Amir Kalan (2014\) has explored the pedagogical potentials of post\-process theory in an article entitled "A Practice\-Oriented Definition of Post\-Process Second Language Writing Theory".Kalan, Amir. "[Practice\-Oriented Definition of Post\-Process Second Language Writing Theory.](http://teslcanadajournal.ca/index.php/tesl/article/view/1196A)" TESL Canada Journal \[Online], 32\.1 (2014\): 1\.


What are some constraints for students when learning through a process approach?