Racial methodologies for composition studies: Reflecting on theories of race in writing assessment research

We need, I argue, racial methodologies for our research in composition studies but more particularly writing assessment. An attention to the ways race functions in and is produced by our research methods is absent in most of the published research in writing assessment. To illustrate, I compare three writing assessment research projects, an early quantitative one on writing placement scores by Edward M. White and Leon Thomas that considers race, a recent qualitative project by Cathy Spidell and William H. Thelin that considers student reactions to grading contracts, and the quantitative portion of a research project I currently conduct on grading contracts. Then I suggest ways that racial methodologies are needed and may be used in future research. Copyright