Abstract
Research Essay
Research in progress for ENGL 1302: Composition II
Faculty Mentor: Lisa Roy-Davis, PhD
I am pleased to introduce Caroline Peacock’s excellent work “Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation of Tradition,” a research essay she wrote for my English 1302 class in the fall 2023 semester. Adapted from Bruce Ballenger’s textbook, The Curious Writer, the Research Essay assignment encourages students to foreground the role of inquiry by narrating their questions and how their sources address and extend those questions. When students prioritize questions over answers, their writing then demonstrates the value of “thinking on the page,” or the forward movement of ideas and arguments. In Caroline’s essay, that movement toward argument becomes the focus rather than just the argument itself. As Ballenger notes, writers (and readers) may then begin to better understand the process of how the writer has “come to know.” Inquiry precedes argument, he writes, “and it is the best way to discover a thesis that grows from evidence rather than thin air.”
Caroline’s essay is grounded in her personal narrative of practicing ballet through the distinct challenge of having hypermobile joints. Her essay asks, “Why has my physical condition both excited my teachers but presented such a larger problem for my own mental and physical health?” and “What answers might be waiting for me in the research?” As her narrative progresses and readers follow her line of inquiry to her eventual argument, Caroline’s questions and answers become more focused and impactful for her thinking. Following her on this journey thus makes clear how early academic scholars find their footing in questions and larger issues that may define their longer-term projects and thinking. As Caroline worked through multiple drafts, feedback from peers and professors, and even incorporated ideas gained through a poster presentation of her research at the 2024 Cultivating Scholars event, her persistence, curiosity, and metacognitive abilities increased exponentially, allowing her to locate her experience in a larger framework.
Recommended Citation
Peacock, Caroline
(2025)
"Classical Ballet: The Progressive Preservation of Tradition,"
Quest: Vol. 9, Article 1.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.collin.edu/quest/vol9/iss1/1
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Lisa Roy-Davis
lrdavis@collin.edu