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…

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.…

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…

Explores how computer-assisted instruction (the ACCESS program) affected teaching goals and student responses in a freshman composition course. Finds that the quantity of student writing increased dramatically. Suggests that word processing offers new ways to provoke students' thoughts, encourage collaboration, and create a lively and interactive…

Investigates the level of students' private access to computers. Finds that nearly half of the students surveyed have access to computers outside the university labs. Discusses how students' independent access can influence courses aimed at integrating word processing and the writing process. (PRA)

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)

Reviews research on the effect of computers on writing. Concludes that students will not automatically revise and write more successfully with a word processor, that students tend to submit papers with fewer mechanical errors using word processors, and that they enjoy writing more and may collaborate more. (RS)

Presents 48 annotations of journal articles reporting research on using computers to teach technical and business writing published between 1984 and 1990. Arranges it to assist teachers in incorporating this research in the classroom. Covers past research, effect of computers on student attitudes, use of word processors, collaborative writing with…

Reviews studies that deal with word processing and writing. Areas covered include surveys of research on the effects of word processing on writing instruction; students' attitudes toward writing; composing behavior; collaborative writing; revising; and reading and writing, emphasizing screen design. Implications for instruction are then suggested.…

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…

A study investigated the effects of using a computer image projected on a large screen to teach revision to college students. Subjects, 19 students at DePauw University, enrolled in a writing intensive literature course in a Writing across the Curriculum program, were divided into test and control groups. It was hypothesized that the modeling of…

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…

A study examined the behavior of first graders as they collaborated on a writing exercise using a word processor. Data were collected over three weeks in the form of fieldnotes and 13.5 hours of videotape of students working at the computer. Videotapes were examined to locate patterns of discourse and physical actions, and by abstracting from the…