Writing is critical for college and career readiness, yet secondary students in America are not good writers (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). Unfortunately, researchers know relatively little about secondary students' writing skills, and even less about their digital writing. In this study, we explored prior computer use, keyboard…

Coherence plays a central role when readers construct meaning from a text. Previous research has shown how coherence marking affects text processing and representation. However, this effect seems to depend on reader's prior knowledge of the text content: Low knowledge readers benefit from coherence marking, whereas high knowledge readers benefit…

The findings of two studies with students doing research with the Internet about topics in science are reported. The focus is on students' methods of text production when using external web-based information and their learning outcomes. In a first exploratory study, the computer-based text production of 45 students was analysed using log files.…

This study investigated whether computer science educational background makes secondary students more adept at using word processing capabilities, and compared computer science and non-computer science students' writing improvement with word processing use. Computer science students used more sophisticated program features but student writing did…

Describes study that was conducted at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to examine variables that determine which undergraduates use microcomputers and how often they use them. Computer access, expected future computer use, and prior computer experience are discussed, and the influences of gender and class rank are examined. (17…

Discusses the relationship between prior computer experiences and the linear or nonlinear steps students choose when working with hypermedia environments and time spent on task (based on a study of graduate students). Experience with content-area software, word processing, databases, spreadsheets, programming, hypermedia, and authoring are…

Describes a survey of secondary school teachers that was conducted to determine their perceptions of their own computer needs and those of their students. The questionnaire, which was completed by 92 teachers, focused on their computer attitudes, needs, and experience. Responses showed that teachers viewed word processing as a high priority for…

Investigates how word processing experience influences tenth grade student performance on a writing assessment. Examines factors influencing a student's decision about using word processors for writing; relationship between experience with the technology and scores on word processed essays; and differences in length, neatness, mechanical…

Describes study of students at a two-year community college that was conducted to examine descriptive references to a computer for differences in interactive styles when reporting success and failure experiences while using a computer for word processing. Differences that relate to gender and computer experience are also analyzed. (18 references)…

This study of college students in business administration classes compares attitudes toward office computer use of students with typing or word processing skills to those of students without those skills. Results show typing and/or word processing skills were associated with greater degree of conceptual understanding of future office computer use.…

Describes study of undergraduate students that measured four types of attitudes toward computers: (1) computer anxiety; (2) computer confidence; (3) computer liking; and (4) perception of computer usefulness. Independent variables used in the study include gender; keyboard familiarity; prior computer experience; and knowledge of programing, word…

Description of academic computing services at Syracuse University focuses on surveys of students and faculty that have identified hardware and software use, problems encountered, prior computer experience, and attitudes toward computers. Advances in microcomputers, word processing, and graphics are described; resource allocation is discussed; and…

Describes a study of undergraduates completing electronic mail and word processing tasks that investigated the effects of experience on attitudes toward computers and judgment of confidence, or self-efficacy. Use of the Computer Technologies Survey is discussed, and treatment of experimental and control groups is described. Survey instrument and…

This experimental study explored whether, and to what extent, differences in gender and experience with word processing affect how students perceive their classroom environment in high school writing classes. Treatment of experimental and control groups is described, and the classroom environment questionnaire for the experimental…

Describes a study that examined relationships between computer attitude, computer experience, gender, cognitive abilities, and the acquisition of word processing by older adults. Highlights include results from computer attitude questionnaires, spatial scanning, inductive and deductive reasoning as predictors of word processing knowledge, and the…