Nancy Nelson
Elena and Albert LeBlanc Professor Emeritus
Louisiana State University
School of Education
College of Human Sciences and Education
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Professor Emeritus
University of North Texas
College of Education
Denton, TX 76203
AREAS OF EXPERTISE: literacy education, academic writing and reading, source-based writing, discourse synthesis, text analysis
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PfWRracAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
ORCID: orcid.org/0000-002-5359-7379
EDUCATION
B.A. University of Texas at Austin, 1963
English (honors)
M.A. Southern Methodist University, 1977
Reading Specialist
Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin, 1983
Curriculum and Instruction: Reading Education
POSITIONS
University of North Texas, Department of Teacher Education and Administration, College of Education: Professor of Education, 2009-19; Department Chair, 2009-14; Meadows Endowed Chair for Excellence in Education, 2013-19 Professor Emeritus, 2019-present
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education: Professor of Education, 2005-09; Department Chair, 2007-09
Louisiana State University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education: Associate Professor, 1994-98; Professor, 1998-2005; Elena and Albert LeBlanc Endowed Professor of Education, 1999-2005; Elena and Albert LeBlanc Endowed Professor of Education Emeritus, 2005-present
College of William and Mary, School of Education: Associate Professor, 1992-94
Carnegie Mellon University, Department of English, College of Humanities and Social Sciences: Assistant Professor, 1986-91; Associate Professor, 1991-92
Texas Woman's University, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education: Assistant Professor, 1984-86
Southern Methodist University, Center for Teacher Preparation: Instructor, Reading Center, 1977-80; Instructor, Teacher Preparation, 1981-83; Adjunct Assistant Professor, 1983-84
Prior Teaching Positions: Texas public schools (3 years); Eastfield College, Dallas County Community College District (part-time, 2 years)
INTERNATIONAL POSITIONS AND LECTURESHIPS
UNT Liaison with Jalisco, Mexico, Secretariat of Education, Chair and Organizer of Co-Hosted Conferences, 2013-19
Fellow, UNT Faculty Abroad Seminar to Mexico, May, 2014
Consultant, Reading Centre, University of Stavanger, Norway (member of European Consortium of Innovative Universities), May, 2011
Director, Seminar on Intercultural Dialogue (for TAMU-CC Students), University for Peace, Costa Rica, July, 2008
Delegate, Intercultural Cities Conference, Liverpool, UK, May, 2008
Guest Lecturer, Seminar on Disciplinary Writing, Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain, September, 2007
Visiting Professor, University of Padua, Italy, September-November, 2000
Guest Lecturer, Rewriting Literacy Seminar, University of Auckland, New Zealand, July, 1999
HONORS AND AWARDS
Citation for Distinguished Service to International Relations, UNT, 2019
Meadows Foundation Endowment at UNT, 2013-19
Recognition for Outstanding Contributions, Jalisco; Mexico, 2016
Elena and Albert LeBlanc Foundation Endowment at LSU, 1999-2005
Falk Fellowship for the Humanities, CMU, 1988-89
Outstanding Dissertation Award, Phi Delta Kappa, 1985
Outstanding Dissertation Award, International Reading Association, 1984
SCHOLARSHIP
(Note: Some of my scholarship is under the name Nancy Nelson Spivey. In 1998 I began
using my maiden name, Nancy Nelson, for my writing.)
Books
Authored Books
Spivey, N. N. (1997). The constructivist metaphor: Reading, writing, and the making of meaning. Academic Press. (now published by Brill)
Reviewed in Journal of Literacy Research, Contemporary Psychology, Journal of Curriculum Theorizing, and College Composition and Communication
Spivey, N. N. (1984). Discourse synthesis: Constructing texts in reading and writing (Monograph). International Reading Association.
Edited Book
Nelson, N., & Calfee, R. C. (Eds.) (1998). The reading-writing connection: Ninety-seventh yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. University of Chicago Press.
Reviewed in Harvard Educational Review and Choice
Selected Articles and Chapters
Nelson, N. Skinner, K., & Barrera, IV, E. S. (2023). The writing-reading nexus: Authors and their audiences. In R. Horowitz (Ed.), Routledge international handbook of research on writing
(pp. 141-162). Routledge.
Nelson, N., & King, J. IR. (2023). Discourse synthesis: Textual transformations in writing from sources. Reading and Writing, 36, 769-808. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10243-5
Nelson, N., Barrera, E. S. IV, Skinner, K., & Fuentes, A. (2016). Language, culture, and border lives: Mestizaje as positionality/Lengua, cultura y vidas de frontera: el mestizaje como posicionalidad. Cultura y Educación, 28, 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/11356405.2014.980121
Nelson, N. (2012). The reading-writing nexus revisited: Research directions. In S. Matre & A. Skaftun (Eds.), Skriv, les (pp. 173-189). Tapir Academic Press.
Nelson, N. (2012). No final word: Cognition and context in writing research. In C. Gelati, B. Arté, &
L. Mason (Eds.), Essays in writing research: In honor of Piero Boscolo (pp. 13-27). Università Degli Studi di Padova.
Nelson, N., & Castelló, M. (2012). Academic writing and authorial voice. In M. Castelló & C. Donahue (Eds.), University writing: Selves and texts in academic societies (pp. 33-52). Brill. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-6304(2012)0000024007
Nelson, N. (2011). The relevance of rhetoric. In D. Lapp & D. Fisher (Eds.), Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts (3rd ed., pp. 290-296). Routledge.
Nelson, N., & Grote-Garcia, S. (2009). Text analysis as theory-laden methodology. In C. Bazerman (Ed.), Traditions of writing research (pp. 406-418). Routledge.
Nelson, N. (2008). The reading-writing nexus in discourse research. In C. Bazerman (Ed.), Handbook of research on writing: History, society, school, individual, text (pp. 435-450). Erlbaum.
Nelson, N. (2007). Why write? A consideration of rhetorical purpose. In S. Hidi & P. Boscolo (Eds.), Writing and motivation (pp. 17-30). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1572-6304(2006)0000019004
Nelson, N., & Kinneavy, J. L. (2003). Rhetoric. In J. Flood, D. Lapp, J. Jenson, & J. Squire (Eds.). Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts (pp. 786-798). Erlbaum.
Nelson, N. (2001). Discourse synthesis: The process and the product. In R. G. McInnis (Ed.), Discourse synthesis: Studies in historical and contemporary social epistemology (pp. 379-396). Praeger.
Nelson, N. (2001). Writing to learn: One theory, two rationales. In P. Tynjala, L. Mason, & K. Lonka (Eds.), Writing as a learning tool: Integrating theory and practice (pp. 23-36). Kluwer.
Nelson, N. (1998). Reading and writing, contextualized. In N. Nelson & R. C. Calfee (Eds.) The reading-writing connection: Ninety-seventh yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education (pp. 266-285). University of Chicago Press.
Nelson, N., & Calfee, R. C. (1998). The reading-writing connection, viewed historically. In N. Nelson &
R. C. Calfee (Eds.) The reading-writing connection: Ninety-seventh yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education (pp. 1-52). University of Chicago Press.
Spivey, N. N. (1997). Rereading Remembering. Journal of Literacy Research, 29, 135-144.
Spivey, N. N. (1995). Written discourse: A constructivist perspective. In L. Steffe & G. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in education (pp. 313-329). Erlbaum.
Spivey, N. N., & King, J. R. (1994). Readers as writers composing from sources. In R. Ruddell, M. R., Ruddell, & H. Singer (Eds.), Theoretical models and processes of reading (4th edition, pp. 668-694). International Reading Association.
Spivey, N. N. (1992). Discourse synthesis: Creating texts from texts. In J. R. Hayes, R. E. Young,
M. Matchett, M. McCaffrey, C. Cochran, & T. Hajduk (Eds.), Reading empirical research studies: The rhetoric of research (pp. 469-512). Erlbaum.
Spivey, N. N. (1991). The shaping of meaning: Options in writing the comparison. Research in the Teaching of English, 25, 390-418. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40171203
Spivey, N. N. (1990). Transforming texts: Constructive processes in reading and writing. Written Communication, 7, 256-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088390007002004
Spivey, N. N., & King, J. R. (1989). Readers as writers composing from sources. Reading Research Quarterly, 24, 7-26. https://doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.24.1.1
Spivey, N. N. (1987). Construing constructivism: Reading research in the United States. Poetics, 16, 169-192. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-422X(87)90024-6
MAJOR GRANTS AND CONTRACTS AT LSU AND CMU
Louisiana State University Writing Project, 1997-2001; 2003-04
Director and Principal Investigator
Funding Source: National Writing Project
LSU English Language Arts GEAR-UP Project, 2003-04
Director and Principal Investigator
Funding Source: Federal GEAR UP Funds from Louisiana Board of Regents
Teaching Reading to Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds, 1996
Principal Investigator
Funding Source: 8g Grant for Innovative Course, State of Louisiana
National Center for the Study of Writing at University of California, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon University, 1987-92
Research Associate
Project Director, Project 4, Effects of Writing Strategies on Learning through Writing, 1987-90
Project Director, Project 9, Writing from Academic Sources, 1990-92
Funding Source: U.S. Office of Educational Research and Improvement
Customized Health Information Project (CHIP), Collaborative Research with Medical Team from Shadyside Hospital in Pittsburgh, 1989-91
Director of Project Evaluation
Funding Source: Kellogg Foundation
Making Thinking Visible Project, 1988-91
Director of Project Evaluation
Funding Source: Heinz Endowment, Pittsburgh Foundation
SELECTED CONFERENCE PAPERS AND INVITED ADDRESSES, 2013-25
(Note: Asterisks indicate invited addresses. All other papers were based on refereed proposals.)
Nelson, N. (2025, April). The Jalisco-UNT partnership: 24 years of collaboration. University of North Texas, Denton, TX.*
Nelson, N. (2024, January). The writing-reading nexus: Authors and their audiences. Recap and epilogue. Book launch for Routledge international handbook of research on writing. San Antonio, TX: University of Texas at San Antonio*.
Nelson, N. (2023, August). The both/and of research into synthesis writing. Conference of the European Association for Learning and Instruction, Thessaloniki, Greece.*
Nelson, N., Skinner, K., & Barrera, IV, E. S. (2023, August). The writing-reading nexus: Authors and their audiences. Conference of the European Association for Learning and Instruction, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nelson, N. (2019, September). The questions places ask: The global in the local. Curriculum Theory Project, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA.*
Nelson, N., & Skinner, K. (2019, February). Issues of language in local and global context. University of West Indies Biennial Conference, Trinidad, West Indies.
Nelson, N., Barrera, E. S. IV, & Skinner, K. (2018, March). Mapping and remapping language in global (and local) context). Comparative and International Education Society, Mexico City, Mexico.
Nguyen, D., & Nelson, N. (2018, March). Translanguaging in online Vietnamese-English Facebook conversations. Comparative and International Education Society, Mexico City, Mexico.
Nelson, N. (2017, October). The intercultural turn in policy and practice. Ireland International Conference on Education, Dublin, Ireland.
Nelson, N. (2017, May). Interculturalism and multiculturalism in global context: Contrasts over space and time. Athens Institute for Research and Education, Athens, Greece.
Koo, Y., Beeson, S. R., Willerson, A., & Nelson, N. (2017, May). The equity-diversity dialectic in indigenous education policy. American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
Price, C. J., & Nelson, N. (2017, April). Multimodality in instructional design for literacy: A portraiture study. American Educational Research Association, San Antonio, TX.
Nelson, N. (2017, February). Global perspective on language and culture. ESL and Bilingual Special Interest Group Institute. National Association for Bilingual Education, Dallas, TX.
Nelson, N. (2016, August). The global-local dialectic: Issues of language education. World Congress of Comparative Education Societies, Beijing, China.
Nelson, N. (2016, May). Internationalization and accreditation. Jal-Tex Conference, Guadalajara, Mexico.*
Koo, Y., & Nelson, N. (2016, April). The DREAM Act debate: An analysis of political discourse. American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
Nelson, N., Boyd, R., & Gonzalez-Carriedo, R. (2016, March). Ventanilla de oportunidades educativas: A Mexican consulate-U.S. university partnership. National Association for Bilingual Education, Chicago, IL.
Koo, Y., & Nelson, N. (2016, March). Analyzing political discourse surrounding the DREAM Act. National Association for Bilingual Education, Chicago, IL.
Nelson, N. (2015, September). Dialogue for intercultural understanding: Transnational perspectives. European Association for Educational Research/World Education Research Association. Budapest, Hungary.
Nelson, N. (2015, May). Interculturalism in global context: Political and geographic distinctions from multiculturalism. International Association for the Advancement of Curriculum Studies, Ottawa, Canada.
Nelson, N. (2015, April). International perspectives on reading and literacy. Invited paper for panel presentation for Special Interest Group on Research in Reading and Literacy. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.*
Nelson, N, & Barrera, E. S. IV. (2015, April). Jose Marti’s latinidad: Justice, culture, and curriculum. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL
Knezek, L., & Nelson, N. (2015, April). Thinking-aloud in reading research: Still controversial but still valuable. American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.
Nelson, N. (2014, April). The discourse of interculturality: Framing intercultural dialogue. American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Nelson, N. (2014, March). Intercultural education in Mexico and the United States. Keynote Address. Jalisco-Texas Conference, Guadalajara, Mexico.*
Nelson, N. (2013, November). Border languaculture. Focal Meeting, World Education Research Association, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Nelson, N. (2013, June). Academic writing in global context. World Council of Comparative Educational Societies, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Nelson, N., & K.V. (2013, May). A real “Texas miracle”? Visioning and re-visioning a transformation of public education. American Educational Research Association, San Francisco, CA.
Nelson, N. (2013, April). Invited paper, What’s new in language arts research? Looking inside The handbook of research on teaching the English language arts, Vol. 3. International Reading Association, San Antonio, TX.*
Nelson, N., & Barrera, E. S. IV. (2013, March). José Martí and the pan-American imaginary: Relevance to global issues in education today. Conference of Comparative and International Education Society, New Orleans, LA.
UNIVERSITY COURSES TAUGHT, 1986-2019
(Note: Asterisks indicate courses developed.).
Courses Taught at University of North Texas, 2010-19
Graduate Courses: Issues of Educational Law and Policy, Conceptual Models of Learning and Instruction, Academic Authorship*, Global Issues of Education*, Theoretical Foundations for Educational Studies, Cognition and Reading
Courses Taught at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, 2005-09
Graduate Courses: Advanced Literacy Research Seminar; Theoretical Bases for Literacy; Qualitative Research Design; Special Topics in Reading; Content Area Reading; Fundamentals of Secondary Reading; Curriculum and Instruction Research Seminar
Courses Taught at Louisiana State University, 1994-2005
Graduate Courses: Doctoral Seminar in Reading; Theories of Reading*; Traditions of Inquiry*; Educational Policy: Issues and Analyses*; Developing Learning Skills Through Content-Area Reading; Teaching Composition in Elementary School; Critical Issues in English Language Arts; Analysis of Research in Reading; Topics in English/Language Arts (Summer Writing Institute)*; Teaching Reading to Students from Diverse Cultural Backgrounds; Seminar in Teacher-Research
Undergraduate Courses: Critical Issues in English Language Arts; Teaching Secondary Reading
Courses Taught at College of William and Mary, 1992-94
Graduate Courses: Language and Literacy Development; Language Development and Reading Instruction for Exceptional Children; Content Area Reading; Advanced Diagnosis and Correction of Reading Difficulties with Practicum; The Teaching of Writing
Undergraduate Courses: Developmental/Diagnostic Reading; Elementary Language Arts
Courses Taught at Carnegie Mellon University, 1986-92
Graduate Courses: Research Design; Rhetoric and Reading: Constructivist Perspectives*; Process of Research; Learning through Composing*; Research into Reading and Writing*
Undergraduate Courses: Rhetoric and the Reading Process*; Introduction to Discourse Analysis*; Professional and Technical Writing; Advanced Exposition
SUPERVISION OF GRADUATE STUDENTS’ SCHOLARSHIP
Doctoral Dissertations Committees Chaired in US: 17
Doctoral Dissertation Defense Chaired at Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain: 1
Master’s Theses and Projects Supervised: 20
SELECTED CONSULTING ACTIVITIES
Advisory Board, Routledge International Handbook of Research on Writing, 2022-23
Curriculum Specialist and Liaison from College of Education to UNT Sustainability, 2013-16
School District Staff Development and University-School Collaborations in Texas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania, 1986-2012
Expert Writing Group, National Institute for Literacy and Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2009.
Consultant, Reading and Writing about Science Project, UC-Riverside, National Science Foundation (Robert C. Calfee, Principal Investigator), 2003
Consultant, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Literature Programs, Grades 6-12, 1986-94
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