Kristen Di Gennaro

Kristen Di Gennaro

Associate Professor
Dyson College of Arts and Sciences
English - NYC
NYC
1518
41 Park Row

Biography

Faculty Bio

Kristen’s research relates to the teaching and assessment of writing, with a particular focus on sociolinguistic aspects of writing. Kristen’s empirical work examines the effectiveness (or not) of written corrective feedback in writing instruction and presumed differences between international and Generation 1.5 writers. Additional research interests include fairness in writing assessment, metacognitive approaches to teaching writing, and the interaction of language and gender. Kristen is currently the Director of Composition Studies.

Awards and Honors

  • 2012, Finalist, The Christopher Brumfit Thesis Award for Applied Linguistics
  • Pace University, 2006, Outstanding Contribution Award
  • New York State TESOL Organization, 2004, Teacher of the Year

Education

EdD, Columbia University, New York, 2011
Applied Linguistics -- Writing Assessment

MA, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 1998
Linguistics

MA, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, 1995
Italian Language and Literature

Courses Taught

Past Courses

ENG 110: Composition
ENG 201: Writing in the Disciplines
ENG 201: Writing in the Disciplines ESL
ENG 201: Writing in the Disciplines-ESL
ENG 205: Intro to Language & Linguistic
ENG 217: Lngg, Lngstcs, & Dscrmntn
ENG 300: Language and Gender
ENG 302: Composition Theory & Practice
ENG 304: Growth of the English Language
ENG 341: Language in Society
ENG 395: Independent Study in English
ENG 396: Language and Gender

Publications and Presentations

Publications

Spamvitations: Examining invitations to submit scholarly work
Di Gennaro, K. K. & Ekiert, M. (2023). , USA:Routledge. , pages 17.

Uniting CLA with WAW via SLA: Learning about written language as a model for college writing courses
Di Gennaro, K. K., Choog, K. P. & Brewer, M. H. (2023). Journal of Second Language Writing. Vol 60

"Naming What We Don’t Know: Graduate Instructors and Declarative Knowledge about Language"
Brewer, M. H. & Di Gennaro, K. K. (2022). College Composition and Communication. Vol 73 (Issue 3) , pages 410-436.

The impact of corrective feedback on English articles
Di Gennaro, K. K. & Ekiert, M. (2021). ELT Journal. Vol 75 (Issue 3) , pages 290-299.

Focused written corrective feedback and linguistic target mastery: Conceptual replication of Bitchener and Knoch (2010)
Ekiert, M. & Di Gennaro, K. (2021). Language Teaching. Vol 54 (Issue 1) , pages 71-89.

Is feedback on grammar harmful or helpful? Questionable answers and unanswered questions
Di Gennaro, K. K. & Ekiert, M. (2020). Composition Forum. Vol 45 https://compositionforum.com/issue/45/feedback.php

Blurred lines: The relationship between catcalls and compliments
di Gennaro, K. K. & Ritschel, C. (2019). Women's Studies International Forum. Vol Volume 75 (Issue July–August)

What do they mean? Comparing international and U.S. resident second-language students’ use of sociopragmatic features in writing
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2015). Writing & Pedagogy. Vol 7 (Issue 1) , pages 39-67.

From quantitative to qualitative: Writing descriptions of data from tables
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2013). ReadWriteThink. https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/from-quantitative-qualitative-writing-31069.html

How different are they? A comparison of Generation 1.5 and international L2 learners’ writing ability.
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2013). Assessing Writing. Vol 18 (Issue 2) , pages 154-171. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1075293513000056

The heterogeneous second-language population in US colleges and the impact on writing program design
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2012). Teaching English in the Two-Year College. Vol 40 (Issue 1) , pages 57-67. https://www.ncte.org/journals/tetyc

Investigating differences in the writing performance of international and Generation 1.5 students
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2009). Language Testing. Vol 26 (Issue 4) , pages 533-559. https://www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201816

Assessment of Generation 1.5 learners for placement into college writing courses
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2008). Journal of Basic Writing. Vol 27 (Issue 1) , pages 61-79.

Fairness and test use: The case of the SAT and writing placement assessment for ESL students
Di Gennaro, K. K. (2006). Teachers College, Columbia University Working Papers in TESOL and Applied Linguistics. Vol 6 (Issue 2)

Professional Contributions and Service

Professional Memberships

  • American Association of Applied Linguistics
  • Conference on College Composition and Communication
  • Council of Writing Program Administrators
  • International Language Testing Association
  • National Council of Teachers of English
  • Modern Language Association

Department Service

  • Director of Composition
  • Curriculum Committee [Committee Member]
  • Personnel [Committee Chair]
  • Interim Director of Writing-Enhanced Course Program

University Service

  • Scholarly Research Committee [Committee Member]
  • CAP Faculty Advisory Board [Committee Member]
  • Faculty Satisfaction Survey Committee [Committee Member]

Professional Service

College Composition and Communication [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Language Teaching Research [Reviewer, Journal Article]
International Journal of Communication Research [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Journal of Intercultural Communication Research [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Language Teaching [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Journal of Second Language Writing [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Assessing Writing [Editorial Review Board Member]
Canadian Modern Language Review [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Research in the Teaching of English [Reviewer, Journal Article]
New York State TESOL Journal [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Oxford University Press [Reviewer, Textbook]
Language Assessment Quarterly [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Bedford/St. Martins [Reviewer, Textbook]