UMass Boston

The UMB Writing Center is a site for research on writing and writing pedagogy. Research helps fulfill our mission and contributes to UMB’s mission of inclusive excellence in teaching, research, and service. The research we conduct through the UMB Writing Center not only influences our local practices but also contributes to knowledge production in the fields of writing centers and writing studies. There are various ongoing research projects in the Writing Center. These projects take place through the scholarly activities of the administrative team and through the work of undergraduate and graduate consultants as they train to be consultants through a one-semester course on writing center pedagogy, practice, and research (taught by Dr. María Carvajal Regidor and Dan Messier) and via other professional development opportunities. This page includes information about some of the past and present research conducted by members of the administrative team and consultants, a list of publications by writing center staff, and information about the Writing Center's ongoing assessment. 

Research:

Dr. María Carvajal Regidor, Director of the Writing Center and Assistant Professor in English, conducts writing center research on a range of topics, including how writing centers can support faculty of color writers through writing groups. Along with co-researcher Dr. Allison Kranek (The Ohio State University Writing Center Director), she also researchers holistic writing center support for graduate writers. Their latest article, "It’s Crowded in Here: ‘Present Others’ in Advanced Graduate Writers’ Sessions" introduces the concept of present others to understand graduate students’ feedback networks and how these influence writing center sessions. 

Dan Messier, Assistant Director and Senior Lecturer II in English, and  Dr. Hadi Banat, ESL Director and Assistant Professor in English, investigate students’ confidence (or lack thereof) in academic writing, the ways students’ racial identities influence their confidence, and how working with consultants in a writing center session could enhance student confidence levels. Findings from this study have been published in The Writing Center Journal. 

Publications:

Messier, Daniel and Banat, Hadi Riad (2025) "Writing Confidence: Tutoring, Identity, and Race—A Mixed-Methods Approach." The Writing Center Journal. 

Allison Kranek and María Carvajal Regidor. (2021). “It’s Crowded in Here: ‘Present Others’ in Advanced Graduate Writers’ Sessions.” Praxis: A Writing Center Journal.

Carolyn Wisniewski, María Carvajal Regidor, Lisa Chason, Evin Groundwater, Allison Kranek, Dorothy Mayne, and Logan Middleton. (2021). “Questioning Assumptions about Online Tutoring: A Mixed-Method Study of Face-to-Face and Synchronous Online Writing Center Tutorials.” The Writing Center Journal. 

Assessment: 

The administrative team regularly assesses the Writing Center’s practices to ensure that the Writing Center is serving UMB students and working to create a culture of writing on campus that is in line with our mission and vision. Assessment also helps us understand how the Writing Center impacts students at UMB and to improve our services. As a relatively new Writing Center, our assessment is focused on data collection to assess usage of our services and attendance at our events. We also collect post-session surveys from writers who use the Writing Center.