"Tell me exactly what it was that I was doing that was so bad": Understanding the Needs and Expectations of Working-Class Students in Writing Centers

Abstract

This study presents insights from hour-long interviews with eighteen working-class students from three different higher education institutions. It finds that working-class students’ perceptions of the writing center are at odds with how writing centers perceive themselves. The working-class students in our study generally wanted support that was more direct, more “expert,” and more generous than what they found in the writing center.The participants’ experiences pose important questions for writing center directors who want to provide services more closely matched to students’ needs.