Background: The need for improvement in writing instruction in schools is dependent on teachers being aware of evidence-based procedures in writing and implementing them on a regular basis in their classrooms. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the frequency with which teachers in Western Canada employed evidence-based procedures in…

Surveys British academics. Reveals a divide between writers who favor a word processor as their main writing tool and those who favor the pen or pencil. Finds that word processors are both indirect and delayed. Suggests that educators may need to legitimate handwritten drafts or reversion to handwriting for some word-processor users. (RS)

Examines experimental research reports and published practitioner accounts to show that few users, even "experienced" users, used a word-processing package at anywhere near its full potential. Encourages students in two postsecondary institutions in Japan to use word processing more fully, but finds little improvement. Discusses the need…

In order to assess the effects of wordprocessing on the writing of first-year students in a college of applied arts and technology, a project at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, Canada followed a large population of students as they entered college, were taught to use wordprocessing in their writing, and used it throughout…

The commonest context for the use of word processors with primary school children is collaborative small group work. The two major reasons for this organizational decision are resource-based (i.e. due to the scarcity of computers in the classroom) and educational, stemming from an increased use of cooperative learning methods. In order to improve…

Notes that joint composition at the computer is common in United Kingdom primary schools. Finds that even children as young as seven years can jointly plan a story at the computer. Uses examples of pupils' discourse while composing to illustrate the processes by which they produced written text. (RS)

Studies of text comprehension have suggested that readers focus on different levels of ideational unit while reading, thereby affecting the quality of their comprehension of the text. A study examined the viability of the deep-surface categorization with regard to essay-writing and the relation of different approaches to writing to the quality of…

Examines ways primary-aged children in the United Kingdom and Finland socially construct writing while using computers. Finds children's talk to be highly task-related and to concern mostly composing, not ways in which to use the computer. Suggests that ways in which children interact and write while using computers are embedded in wider…

This study examined the impact of a word prediction software program, Co:Writer, on the written output of 24 students with physical disabilities that affected their ability to write by hand. Surveys were completed by both students who used Co:Writer and their teachers/adult supporters in schools, and 10-minute writing samples were obtained from…

A study examined the subtle impact of word processing (used alone) on the way students approach their writing tasks. Nine elementary school teachers were trained in techniques of naturalistic observation and received a kit containing important guidelines for their observational task, daily log sheets, and journal forms. The teachers then observed…

A study assessed the impact of word processing on the writing of junior high school students, experienced in working with computers, for a number of tasks, including writing. Subjects, 111 eighth grade students in four communications arts classes at a Canadian middle-class suburban school, who had been using computers for writing for a year and a…

In order to investigate the effects of computer technology on the composing processes of students in grades 8 and 12, a study compared students' writing in two conditions (writing by pen and writing by word processor), specifically addressing the questions of whether computer use led to an increase in revision and/or an improvement in quality.…

In this pilot project, nine pairs of Danish teenagers with different levels of English proficiency were observed and of these three pairs were studied in greater detail, as they worked on English writing assignments on a word processor. The approach used in gathering data was based on video recordings using a split-screen technique. Half the…

Finds that, among 36 Ontario students in grades 5-8, use of word processing in a language arts program increased writing productivity for all students and number of revisions for certain grades. However, fifth graders were significantly less able than others to use word processing technology. Contains 23 references. (SV)

An 18-month study examined the impact of word processors on the teaching and learning of writing in an area school on the South Island of New Zealand, with a special focus upon the writing development of 9 primary school children ranging in age from 8 years 11 months to 11 years 8 months. A wide range of data was collected on each pupil, including…