This year’s winner of the Joan Pavelich Dissertation Award is Mary McCaffery from the University of Toronto, Department of Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Mary’s dissertation is titled “Context matters: Exploring teaching methods and contextual factors influencing Ontario grade 12 teachers’ writing instruction.” Using Qualitative methods and interweaving complexity theory, the dissertation asks the following research questions: How do grade 12 English and history teachers teach writing? What composition theories and writing pedagogies influence their teaching? What aspects of teachers’ working contexts influenced their instructional decisions? The findings are organized by complexity theory and the overall thesis concludes that “In many respects, the establishment of education and ongoing professional development in writing pedagogies could result in shared space where secondary and post-secondary educators join a common, less hierarchical, space.” We believe this dissertation fills a gap and contributes to body of literature. We are pleased to present Mary McCaffery with the 2024 Joan Pavelich Dissertation Award.

Winning Article:

Natarajan, S. (2024). New Tropes for Old: Changing the Conversation in Canadian Writing Centres. Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie, 34, 157–182. https://doi.org/10.31468/dwr.1095

Dr. Natarajan’s paper analyzes discursive practices common to Canadian Writing Studies and Writing Center contexts from a radical lens. Anyone in the field can apply the analytical tools provided in this article for curricular review and instructor training. Not only is the article actionable in a variety of contexts, the form and content complement each other.  The writing style reflects the central argument that the figurative language common to our work needs transformation in order to meet the multivalent needs of postsecondary student populations. 

Honourable Mention:

Toorenburgh, L., & Gaudet, L. (2024). Doing our work in a good way: a framework of collaboration and a case for Indigenous-only writing classrooms. Discourse and Writing/Rédactologie, 34, 200–25. https://doi.org/10.31468/dwr.1049

Dr. Gaudet’s and Lydia Toorenburgh’s article engages the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action by presenting an inclusive and decolonial model for First Year Composition (FYC) courses. The theory and praxis are well developed in the article. The paper is a pleasure to read in structure and clarity. Committee members agreed that the paper opened an honest and poignant conversation about delivering a course for Indigenous students by a non-Indigenous instructor.  The details the authors shared about decolonial course design and implementation provides readers with a roadmap for implementation at their own institutions.