DeJoy's argument & my study population

One of the issues that cropped up during my prospectus defense, was how I can justify, or talk about, teachers and students, both, as participants in the study. I think it was Jeff that suggested they are both "writers," and I might talk about it that way. However, I have read DeJoy's book, _Process This_, a couple times. She writes about students-as-other, and suggests that the field will be benefited by inviting students into the field as contributors.

It struck me that her argument provides a foundation for seeing the teachers and students together in one group - that of writers. My research isn't focusing on the "studentness" of rhetorical invention, or of thinking about copyright. Instead, I am interested in writers-in-educational-environments as a group. I limited this group by focusing on TPW programs and writing majors. Vygotsky makes no argument that the thinking processes of students are different than that of teachers. Learning is learning regardless of who is doing it.

I think that politically, bunching together students and teachers as participants, as writers, works fine, and supports DeJoy's view of what we should be doing in composition studies. For the interviews, I plan on interviewing students simply because they are probably easier to schedule time with, and because they are more likely to be working on something at the current moment. They are more likely to be on the cutting edge of using the affordances of digital technologies to write than are their teachers.

One other thing -- I agree with DeJoy's main points, as far as I understand them now, but, I don't agree that her vision is something other than a traditional avenue for the professionalization of the field. Including students as members of the profession, or field, is a traditional way of indoctrinating them into a discipline. For example, at the law school, students serve as editors of law journals. That shape that important discourse in the field. Students also write for law journals -- are even expected to publish that way. Of course, graduate students in various disciplines are encouraged to participate in the discourse of the field. I guess the difference is that DeJoy suggests this kind of inclusion should take place at the undergraduate level. This is more revolutionary.