To investigate whether a creative writing unit in upper secondary education would improve students' creative as well as argumentative text quality and to examine whether it would change students' writing behavior, we tested a creative writing unit based on encouraging writing in flow by using divergent thinking tasks. Four classes (Grade 10)…

This intervention study aimed to test the effect of writing process feedback. Sixty-five Grade 10 students received a personal report based on keystroke logging data, including information on several writing process aspects. Participants compared their writing process to exemplar processes of equally scoring (position-setting condition) or…

This study examines the experiences and perceptions of writers who composed text using "distraction-free" writing tools that stand as alternatives to standard word processing programs. The purpose of this research was to develop a clearer understanding of how digital writing tools may shape the activities and practices of writers, as…

In the wake of the digital, some have recommended that we abandon the tedium of teaching handwriting to children in service of promoting "more creative" digital literacies. Others worry that an early diet of keyboard and screen may have deleterious effects on children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, as well as their…

Many students with learning disabilities (LD) and emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) struggle with the writing process. Technology has shown to be effective in supporting prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing of written products. This article explains the use of one technology-based graphic organizer with embedded…

Using a nonexperimental design, the researchers explored the effect of captioning as part of the writing process of individuals who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing. Sixty-nine d/Deaf and hard of hearing middle school students composed responses to four writing-to-learn activities in a word processor. Two compositions were revised and published with…

This article reports on a study designed to explore whether and in what ways individual students' technological literacies might impact collaborative teams. For the collaborative team discussed in this article, technological literacy--specifically, limited repertoires for solving technical problems, clashes between document management strategies,…

Prompted by the federal No Child Left Behind law and state mandates for improved proficiency in writing and other skills, district leaders have intensified their focus on writing in elementary and middle schools. Many are integrating word-processing software and other technology tools into their curricula to strengthen the instructional and…

This report presents the findings from a 2-stage, multi-method study conducted in 2000 and 2001 on the editing skills and processes which students at two schools in New Zealand used when working with word processors and with pencils. The study's main aim was to examine the influence of the use of a word processor on students' editing processes and…

Writing behaviors of grade 1 children were explored as they used word processors to support their writing. Information was gathered in the form of field notes and audiotape transcripts from classroom observation sessions, along with informal interviews with students and teachers. Themes which emerged from the data analysis suggested a combination…

Reports how the use of microcomputers in a writing class helped change students' writing behaviors, created a writing community, caused the teacher to learn along with the students, and helped marginal writers improve. (SRT)

Discusses the benefits of using word processing software to motivate student writers. Briefly describes computer programs that assist students during the composing process. (AEA)

Discusses word processing computer programs' potential to perform operations similar to those performed by computer assisted instruction (CAI). Suggests not abandoning CAI software entirely for the CAI potential of word processors. (RS)

Describes Project Write which uses a hierarchy of critical thinking skills in the formation of concepts and theories. Describes how students use computers to brainstorm, categorize, verify, sequence story details, and create a main idea and conclusion for their expository writing. (RS)

Examines the contexts of human-computer interaction, and argues that understanding word-processing research done in that setting can enrich thinking about the impact of teaching writing with the use of computers. Suggests issues developed in recent word-processing studies that may interest future researchers. (KEH)