Reports that professional writing students using computers wrote significantly better papers than their counterparts in traditional classrooms. Attributes the success of this study (other studies have failed to find significant differences) to the population of skilled, motivated, upper-level students and consistent use of computers from planning…

Reports results of a study indicating that increasing computer time from one and a half hours to three hours per week did not improve the quality of students' newswriting, and suggesting that departments with small capital budgets need not necessarily invest huge amounts in computer terminals for every student. (HTH)

A study examined the effect of computer-assested instruction on fourth graders' writing skills. Two fourth grade classes from one elementary school in New Jersey participated in the study. One class (the experimental sample) was taught to use the computer as a writing tool, while the other class (the control sample) used only pencil and paper.…

Examines the collegiate version of "Writer's Workbench" (a computer program that analyzes the surface elements of students' writing and provides feedback to assist in revision) on the writing of sophomore technical writing students. Concludes that "Writer's Workbench" can be an effective but limited tool for technical writing…

The study examined the impact of computer technology on written business communication. Experimental groups (using microcomputers) and control groups (using typewriters) produced four written assignments. Findings indicate that computer use has a positive effect on attitudes about assignments but no effect on time efficiency or product quality.…

Compares students' writing in a computer classroom and in a conventional pen-and-paper classroom. Finds that students in the conventional classroom responded readily to the same pedagogical approaches without the aid of computers. Suggests that it is nearly impossible to account for the results without weighing the roles played by pedagogy,…

Describes a study in which 12 students' papers were critiqued by both WordPerfect's "Grammatik" grammar checking software and by real English/business communication professors. Finds significant limitations to the effectiveness of the software as a guide for student writers. (SR)

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,…

A study examined the quantity and quality of ideas produced in freshman composition students' writing to determine whether computer assisted instruction (CAI) stimulates invention as well as or better than current invention instruction in traditional classrooms. Two CAI programs were used: QUEST, the systematic program that examines an item/event…

The purpose of this study was to examine the quantity of words written by an intermediate elementary student when paper and pencil are used and compare it with the quantity of words written with a computer. One fifth-grade magnet homeroom consisting of 16 students was involved in this study. The participants were randomly placed into two groups.…

Asks undergraduate students to respond to a series of questions by hand and using a word processor. Finds that some students felt profoundly disadvantaged writing by hand, and students who felt uncomfortable on the computer wrote longer and better developed responses in that medium. Suggests that a computer-assisted tutorial may act like L.…

The development of narrative competence is an important part of the English curriculum in the early secondary school years. A study examined how four seventh-grade girls (two novice and two expert writers) responded to computer-based metacognitive guidance in the form of procedural facilitations. The facilitations were designed to assist the…

Argues that writing teachers should seize the initiative and design pedagogically appropriate issues for word-processing technology. Proposes a strategy for designing and employing usage checkers to improve sentence-level fluency. Discusses research on usage checkers, sentence-level revision, and instructor intervention. Offers suggestions on…

Notes that online writing environments can lead basic writers to focus on the instrumental nature of language and technology, construe writing as performance, and see revision as error correction. Explores computer use as an aid in the process of composition in a one-credit computer lab course. Finds that basic writers face significant…

To learn more about the impact of word processing on the writing of college freshmen, a 2-year study involving 320 students of average writing ability investigated whether (1) students using word processors write significantly better than those who do not; (2) manipulating and improving sentences on a screen affects students' awareness of grammar,…