Jill Jeffery is a university lecturer at the Leiden University Centre for Linguistics. Her research investigates academic writing development in secondary and postsecondary school settings by examining what “good writing” is and how it is taught and learned. This work has led her to examine how competent writing is conceptualised in educational policies, academic standards, large-scale assessments, and teaching practices across the globe. Her work ultimately aims to enrich students' opportunities to engage with the written word to construct knowledge, communicate complex ideas, and participate more meaningfully in civic, economic, and professional life.

More information about Jill Jeffery

Research

My research investigates academic writing development in secondary and postsecondary school settings by examining what “good writing” is and how it is taught and learned. Thus far, this work has led me to examine how competent writing is conceptualised in educational policies, academic standards, large-scale assessments, and teaching practices primarily in the context of US education systems. Increasingly, however, I am investigating how constructs of writing competence are articulated variously across the globe through comparative educational policy analyses. My work ultimately aims to enrich students' opportunities to engage with the written word to construct knowledge, communicate complex ideas, and participate more meaningfully in civic, economic, and professional life. 

Curriculum vitae

Selected publications

• Jeffery, J.V., Skar, G.B., Kvistad, A.H., & Graham, S. (2026). Text features associated with students’ generative AI use: Norwegian teachers’ perspectives. Frontiers in Education.
• Parr, J., & Jeffery, J.V.  (2026) Perspectives on Writing Curricula Implementation: Insights from an International Survey. Writing and Pedagogy.
• Graham, S., Skar, G.B., Kvistad, A.H., & Jeffery, J.V. (2025) Secondary Teachers’ Use and Beliefs about Generative Artificial Intelligence and Writing in School. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal.
• Wilcox, K., C., & Jeffery, J.V. (2025). Current writing instruction in schools: Centripetal and centrifugal forces in theory, method, and practice (pp. 203-218). In C.A. MacArthur, S. Graham, and J. Fitzgerald. (Eds.). Handbook of Writing Research (3rd Ed.). Guildford Press.
• Jeffery, J.V., & Parr, J. (Eds.). (2021). International perspectives on writing curricula and development: A cross-case comparison. Routledge.

Publications