Revision plays an important role in writing, and as revisions break down the linearity of the writing process, they are crucial in describing writing process dynamics. Keystroke logging and analysis have been used to identify revisions made during writing. Previous approaches include the manual annotation of revisions, building nonlinear…

Recent technology advances have enabled the collection of keystroke logs during writing, a non-intrusive approach to collecting writing process data that could provide insights into writers' editing and revising behaviors in the writing process. Using keystroke logs from 761 middle school students in the US, this study investigated the association…

Discusses why recent studies of word processing offer contradicting results about computer-assisted revision. Examines how writers' cognitive processes for revision are affected by word processing. Finds that (1) experienced writers define revision to include more global-level changes, whereas students tend to focus on local-level concerns; and…

Identifies the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) as the best basis for a markup standard for encoding literary texts. Outlines solutions to problems using SGML and discusses the problem of maintaining multiple views of a document. Examines several ways of reducing the burden of markups. (GEA)

Discusses the benefits of using a word processor for composition in the areas of prewriting, revising, proofreading, and printing. (AEA)

Discounts Collier's study of the effect of computer-based text editors on the quality of students' revision, arguing that editing is not an innate skill and that the computer predictably would not improve upon a process with which the students are not familiar. Collier replies that he excluded several methodological alternatives to reduce the…

Discusses what computers (word processors) can do for the writer. Examines the physical and psychological constraints experienced by writers and explains how word processors can help in overcoming them. (FL)

A study was conducted to determine whether composition students revise more and write better essays on a word processor than they do with pen, ink, and typewriter. Students wrote four out-of-class papers, with two classes using computers and two using pen, paper, and typewriter. Students had to produce at least two drafts of each paper. Sixty…

Describes an experiment at Montana State University in which 12 professors and four freshman composition students were trained to use the university's central computer as a word processor. Concludes that the computer can be a powerful revision aid for writing students. (FL)

Word processing may change how people learn to write. The use of a word processor to teach a sixth grader with writing problems showed how the machine can alleviate problems involving writing with pencil and paper, correcting errors, evaluating and revising, and producing a good-looking text. (RW)

The most popular application of computers in the classroom is word processing. Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey, was one of the first institutions to teach students to write with the computer. Using computers in education provides the following benefits: (1) students find it easier to make changes when writing with the computer than when…

Describes how word processing terminology can be usefully adapted for peer review writing tasks in which students try to help each other revise and improve their written work. Demonstrates this revision technique with specific examples. Outlines how teachers can institute the method in their writing activities. (HB)

The booklet is divided into two parts: theory and method. Theory includes: (1) About corresponding rules for project work and process writing; (2) Introduction to process writing; (3) How to organize the teaching in primary and lower secondary school with only a few computers; (4) What about children who are not familiar with the keyboard?; (5)…

Reports in the ERIC database have found that computer-assisted writing instruction has some effect--if not a dramatic impact--in both the quantity and quality of student writing. Although computers are becoming more common in schools, the influx of computers into schools may not assure students ample opportunity to use them. Limited time-on-task…

The computer can improve writing instruction only if it is integrated into a systematic pedagogy that distinguishes between writing behavior and higher order cognitive skills. Underlying the present concern with the writing process is the behaviorist assumption that promoting a certain writing behavior can provoke thought. Unfortunately, while…