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…

During this decade there have been numerous efforts to identify instructional practices that improve students' writing. These include "Reading Next" (Biancarosa and Snow, 2004), which provided a set of instructional recommendations for improving writing, and "Writing Next" (Graham and Perin, 2007) and "Writing to Read" (Graham and Hebert, 2010),…

Suggests that, although the benefits of word processing are widely acknowledged, writing is still perceived as a difficult activity. Considers the degree to which particular features of word processing might constitute new and significant impediments to individual writers. Discusses this issue with writers who expressed concerns that their…

Examines research on using word processors for writing and writing instruction. Argues that research can mislead and discourage teachers from using computers in their classrooms. Asserts that word processing encourages students to have fun while guiding them through the revision process. (MM)

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)

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…

Reviews videotapes of three professional writers composing several essays from start to finish, both by hand and by computer. Discusses similarities and differences among the completed essays. Finds that writing appears to be governed by deep cognitive models that are little influenced by the mode of text production or by the writer's preference…

Examines the work of five researchers who have conducted studies of writing with computers or writing with computer-assisted instruction in the following areas: composing with word processing; writing improvement attributed to computers; instructional software; computer networks for writing; and collaborative writing through telecommunications.…

A 3-year project examined the cognitive effects of word processing on writing processes and products. In particular, the project examined effects on writers' planning, reviewing, and revising in a series of six assessment studies. Among the most important results of the project were that writers using word processing alone--both student writers…

This report brings together data from three cycles of replication and serves as a summary of the findings of the Learning Disabled College Writers Project at University of Minnesota-General College. From July 1985 through September 1988, teachers and researchers examined the impact of microcomputer word processing on the classroom performance of…

To determine how useful a computerized text editor would be in helping students to revise their papers, an interactive text manipulation system (Wylbur) was made available to two classes of freshman composition students at the University of California, Los Angeles. Since the course received no advance publicity, students did not know when they…

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)

This report summarizes and synthesizes current research on the effects of using word processors on students' writing performance. The report examines cognitive models of the writing process, issues in the assessment of writing performance, and research on instruction in keyboarding. The work was carried out as part of a course requirement by…

Seven rural counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore cooperated in a 3-year project to determine the feasibility of using microcomputers to instruct special education students in writing skills. All 42 participating teachers received inservice training in teaching writing to special education students; the 26 teachers in the experimental group were…

Presents some of the better-known models to describe the process to writing. Combines some of their common features into a framework that is useful for thinking and talking about the roles that computers may play in supporting "the writing process." (MG)