Blog 17: Possible Answers to Research Questions in Our Interview Transcripts

****How does my subject define revision?

H – (Laughter) Darn! Um, how would you define revision in your own words? 8:30

A – Hmmm, if I had to define revision, I would say that revision could be, um, looking at all the mistakes of your paper, whether they be like spelling, grammatical, or anything else and making sure that they are all corrected and like how they need to be. Like as I made the analogy before, like it’s kinda like putting make-up on your paper. Like you’re fixing up every little correction and just making it the best it can be. Yep.

****When was my subject taught revision?

H – (Laughter) Um, so when did you first like learn about revision?

A – Honestly, this is gonna be really embarrassing, but like in high school, I never revised any of my stuff. I kinda just handed it in and I didn’t care. Um, my freshman year of college I learned my revision and like taking the time to actually go print things out and relook at it over again. Freshman year of college (Laughter) That’s sad.

****How was my subject taught to revise in high school?

H – Okay, um. How did your high school English teacher tell you to revise? 3:33

A – Um, it depends on the one that you—what I was talking about because like every single year each one would be of a different kind of intensity. But my senior year, my um AP like College Writing teacher, who was like English teacher technically, she taught us to do the same thing like that I learned my freshman year of college, but I didn’t listen. She told me to also, like print out a couple of times, look it over, like go talk to my parents about it. Like read it out to them and stuff, but that’s all they really went into detail.

****How was my subject taught to revise in college?

H – Hmm, okay. Um, so how were you taught to revise in college?

A – In college, all my professors like tell me to take my time and actually go through all of my work and like do it days ahead of time like I said earlier, rather than like wait til the last second and like look it over then ‘cause that’s not accurate. You have to wait like a couple of days so like you see, uh, like your mistakes you made. So that’s mainly what they say, you know, just make sure you do it ahead of time.

****Why does my subject think we teach revision earlier?

H – Okay, sounds good. Um, is there anything that we haven’t talked about with revision that you feel like that you want to add? Any topic?

A – Uh, uhhh. Just about how like I think it should probably be taught at an earlier age. Like I think in high school it should be taken a lot more seriously so that way it isn’t just something you learn when you’re in college. Like people would get into way better colleges if they knew that beforehand. Like they could have written way better essays. Like unless you were at home and your mother was like an English major, you’re not gonna know how to do all those revision things or unless you went to like some preparatory school in like the richest place ever. So I think it should be taught at an earlier age. 17:49

****What does my subject feel are the benefits of revision?

A – Especially for SATs and stuff because they comes up like a year later! You have to be ready for everything. Um, I don’t know about HSPAs because I didn’t go to a public school. I don’t know if there’s any writing with that, but I’m sure that would help. I’m sure if there’s a reading section or something else, by knowing writing skills, you’re going to be able to pick out things and reading is a lot easier also. It’s not only just the writing, so.

H – Do you feel like you would have benefited much more if you would have learned it at an earlier age?

A – Definitely! (Laughter) Like I would have been in a way better place right now because I know that like when I was younger, I was able to write, I’ve always been able to write like good, but it was never the best it could possibly be and I really believe that’s because nobody took the time to sit down with me and be like, “Get to the point.” Like nobody ever told me, how to get to where it should be, they just said, “Okay, it’s fine. You did it.” You know? So, I definitely would have come out as a better person if it would have been introduced to me earlier, smarter even!