Understanding the Rhetoric of Research

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The English Journal (EJ) was founded with the development of the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) in 1912. Like most new journals in the field, the editor's note in the very first issue justifies the need for another forum of teachers. The editor, James Fleming Hosic argues that although there are many localized councils of teachers, there are still many problems to be solved in the field of English and therefore a unified, national committee could help. He gives credit to the Modern Language Association for their work, but states that they are primarily interested in research. Therefore, NCTE is needed due to its dedication to the practical issues of teaching of English. With this purpose in mind, Hosic (1912) states that EJ is the medium through which the Council reaches the public as it "aspires to provide a means of expression and a general clearing-house of experience and opinion for the English teachers of the country" (46).

Volume 1:6 describes the editorial policy of EJ a little further:

"...the Journal is progressive. We do not wish to root out, tear up or overthrow, but we are eager to move steadily forward. The Journal does not worship at the shrine of tradition; it does not prize school practices merely because they are old. Social conditions change and schools must change with them. Nevertheless, we believe in sound methods of investigation and testing" (1912).

These "sound methods" are not specifically mentioned, but the articles in the issues up to this sixth issue deal mainly with teachers' reflections on their own methods in light of popular or new pedagogies. The editor also puts forth that the journal must be representative of the diverse local committees of teachers forming the NCTE and that a high standard of style and typography is expected.

In 1920 EJ received a new editor and made a shift toward a stronger emphasis on literature education. Before this time articles were balanced between writing and literature topics. Sometimes shifts like this one have more to do with editors' preferences than with trends in overall English studies.

In 1955 we see another more subtle shift in focus of the journal with a new editor. Volume 44:2 introduces Dwight Burton whose policy is very general: "Anything which will improve the teaching of English in the secondary school is considered for these pages." During this decade we see the broadest range of acceptable rhetorical stances in EJ and other English/composition journals. Articles on reading literature, teacher narratives of classroom activities, and research studies on what college freshman are expected to know and do in English are all included. This atmosphere of openness to many different ideas and rhetorical stances is indicative of the times. Science and technology is booming and people in all fields are excited about new ideas and ways of doing things. We hear the importance of progressive teaching which is mindful of the goings on outside the school walls. Rhetorics which shake up the status quo a bit appear to be strongly encouraged.

The 1970 volume 62:6 of EJ introduces another new editor along with some changes in format (a larger 8 1/2" by 11" format rather than nearly half that size) and organization of articles. The new editor, Stephen Judy (1970), says, "[EJ] needs to be a practical magazine, dealing in concrete terms with problems faced by classroom teachers, but it cannot drift toward gimmickry or shallow eclecticism. It needs to be a scholarly journal, investigating ideas at the forefront of the discipline, but it cannot fall prey to pedagogical fantasy." The magazine is divided into four sections including Opinion Editorial, Features (scholarly articles centered around a particular theme), Teaching Ideas, and Resources.

The editorial in volume 62:7 discusses the major shifts in teaching and rhetorical foci the discipline of English has gone through in the latest several years. Judy (1970) states, "Some wondered if NCTE was trying to emulate the National Science Foundation with this interest in a "scientific" approach to language, and they voiced their distrust: "If I'd wanted to be a mathematics teacher, I would have been a mathematics teacher." Note below that, during this same decade, College English mentions in an editorial policy that they will only accept articles of a more particular focus on "critical theory, curricular thinking, pedagogy and so on." These reactions characterize some of the beginning backlash to positivistic, empirical articles because these journals, which are trying to hone down their rhetorical foci, tend not to include strictly quantitative studies. However, other scholarly journals such as Research in the Teaching of English are being made available around this time for the more empirical type of article.

Presently, EJ still has a very magazine-like look. The covers have color photographs or artwork and articles generally include pictures. This look likely appeals to the secondary school English teacher who has a very practical outlook on his/her teaching. Most of the articles are based on real classroom activities and curricula, rather than on educational or composition theory. Specific editorial parameters for EJ are available over the Internet, and can be accessed via the EJ home page.