Reports the major findings of a national survey of office professionals conducted by Honeywell Incorporated. When asked how they would spend $10,000 to increase their personal productivity, the majority of workers surveyed said they would buy a computer, software, or word processor. (MD)

This study demonstrated that abstracts composed with the aid of a computer were rated higher than those without a computer. Categories assessed included spelling/punctuation, organization/design, sentence structure, clarity, and overall quality. Subjects were 68 students participating in the 1984 Secondary Student Training (SST) Research Program…

The usefulness of the computer for facilitating children's creative writing and for manipulating structures in writing is illustrated. (MP)

Extension leadership articulated several broad goals for the use of microcomputers within cooperative extension. These included providing information, service to clients, office automation, and enhancement of the educational process. A questionnaire was administered regarding microcomputer use within Washington State University County Cooperative…

Recommends the use of microcomputers for computer-assisted indexing; describes five case studies; and provides a list of representative software programs including title, producer, compatible hardware, price, and a short description. (EM)

Comparing the effectiveness of several comprehensive computer-assisted writing tools, this final report on the Writing Tools Project evaluates five IBM programs--"Writer's Workbench" (WWB), "HBJ Writer,""Rightwriter,""UNC-CH Write," and "Writing Is Thinking"--and two Macintosh…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers as word processors in basic writing classes highlights the improvements in students' writing skills. Changes in teachers' approaches to writing courses are discussed and results of a study of 24 students in a basic writing course using microcomputers at Montclair State College are presented. (Author/LRW)

Eleven fifth- and sixth-grade learning-disabled students composed and revised stories using handwriting, dictation, and word processing. Dictated stories differed from other formats on product measures such as length, quality, and grammatical errors. Differences between handwritten and word-processed stories were found on the process measures of…

Describes study designed to investigate students' attitudes and strategies when writing with the aid of a computer. Interviews with four undergraduates enrolled in a computer-assisted section of advanced composition are discussed, and participant observation and document analysis are also used to examine the combined processes of composing and…

To learn more about the impact of word processing on the writing of college freshmen, a 2-year study involving 320 students of average writing ability investigated whether (1) students using word processors write significantly better than those who do not; (2) manipulating and improving sentences on a screen affects students' awareness of grammar,…

Describes a study designed to determine whether the use of computer word processing would improve both the amount and quality of revision done by high school student writers. The effects of word processing on composition length and revision, and students' attitudes toward writing and word processing are discussed. (47 references) (CLB)

Discusses how microcomputers can stimulate invention in composition, through electronic mail, text analysis, and word processing programs. Describes two exploratory studies designed to examine the feasibility of using a word processor for language experience and sentence-combining activities in the elementary school classroom. (HTH)

To determine whether basic writers revise more successfully using word processors as opposed to pen and paper, a study investigated the quality of revision of approximately 100 college basic writers in three classes at a southern university. In the fall semester, word processors were used in each of the three classes once every two weeks. In the…

A study examined whether the use of word processors would enhance the amount and quality of students' revisions. Subjects, 28 high school sophomores and juniors enrolled in a special class for interested writers, met twice a week for 60 minutes in either a computer laboratory (experimental group) or in a regular classroom (control group). Findings…

Describes a research study on the effects of word processing use in teaching writing to four fifth-grade boys in a special education program, and reviews other studies on word processing use with learning disabled students. It was concluded that word processing offers great promise to the special needs student. (MBR)