To learn more about the initial effects of word processing on essay-writing performance and on writing apprehension, eight English instructors at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, conducted a one-semester controlled experiment with freshmen in eight randomly selected college writing classes. Eighty students wrote essays using terminals linked to a mainframe computer (experimental group), while another 80 students wrote essays in the traditional mode using pens, pencils, or typewriters (control group). The eight instructors agreed upon a common syllabus and common teaching approaches for the freshman writing course. To measure writing performance, an analytic scale was devised; to measure writing apprehension, a writing apprehension test developed by J. A. Daly and M. D. Miller was used. Results showed that the experimental group made greater progress than the control group from the pre- to post-essay test, but the same group did not demonstrate superior performance on the six required essays of the course. For writing apprehension, there was no significant difference between the two groups. In addition, the data showed that word processing did not diminish writing quality among new users, despite the fact that the student had to learn new skills and adjust to a new way of writing. (Five tables of data are included, and 25 references, an analytical scale, and a essay rating sheet are attached.) (MS)