Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N=86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning, drafting,…

Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning,…

The relative effectiveness of two writing accommodations, word processing (WP) and speech-recognition (SR) technology, was examined relative to the writing skills of four boys with Asperger syndrome. The more effective accommodation was then combined with the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) writing intervention and compared with SRSD…

After examining the related research, it is difficult to conclude with certainty that the use of word processors is always effective in improving writers' revising skills or that their use necessarily leads to the production of higher quality texts. Their effectiveness depends on other factors that psychologists are starting to measure. (110…

Word processing continues to be the focus in many classrooms, although more and more teachers now ask students to publish on the Web, engage in e-mail conversations regarding their reading and writing, create slide presentations that represent their learning, post to blog sites, etc. And while there is a growing body of research that supports…

This paper presents 10 techniques for tutoring college-level writing students on word processors. Good teaching and tutoring techniques enable writers rather than simply demand compliance. A good technique: must not rely on a fancy word processing program; will take advantage of the basic word processing functions; will ask that the writer do…

A program evaluation was undertaken at Southern Illinois University (Carbondale) to assess the broad, measurable effects of using computers to teach introductory college composition. Twenty-four classes were studied--twelve control classes and twelve experimental--with the experimental computer classes meeting in the lab for half of their…

Compares undergraduates' handwritten reports with those written on computers for 10 precisely defined quality factors. Finds more similarities than differences, with 6 of the 10 tests showing no significant differences. Notes that this study does not support a general conclusion that basic writing quality will improve in computer written…

Twenty-five students, all undergraduates except one, were informally surveyed to determine their attitudes toward the use of word processing in the writing of student papers. Their responses indicated that the use of a word processor was a matter of personal choice with such factors as speed, convenience, storage, and print-outs cited as…

Describes the writing problems of "real world" professional users of word processing, which include editing instead of revising and rethinking, a reluctance to rewrite, and word-inflation. Suggests strategies for working with students to avoid these problems, focusing on functional writing used by professionals in various fields. (MM)

A program was developed and implemented to improve fourth graders' writing skills in conjunction with the State Writing Assessment Test. The objectives for the program were for 80% of the students to improve their writing scores by a minimum of 0.5 point using the State Writing rubric as the guideline; to increase students' understanding of the…

A study examined whether students who underwent training and gained experience in the use of computer word processing techniques would score significantly higher on a writing test than students who received no such training. Students in two randomly selected English Composition II classes at Gloucester County College (New Jersey) were randomly…

If research into writing, particularly on computers as writing tools, is to assist teachers to improve writing pedagogy, the emphasis should be toward conducting naturalistic and context-sensitive studies. Early studies involved traditional experimental research instruments and looked not at the learning process but at the written product,…

Discussion of the use of microcomputers as word processors in basic writing classes highlights the improvements in students' writing skills. Changes in teachers' approaches to writing courses are discussed and results of a study of 24 students in a basic writing course using microcomputers at Montclair State College are presented. (Author/LRW)

Discusses multiple uses of the word processor as a writing tool. Following a description of the various parts of a word processing system, the author addresses concerns of the novice user, concluding that word processors may serve "both in the professional writing of educators and in the teaching of writing." (JBM)