The effects of writing-process-based instruction and word processing on remedial and accelerated 11th graders

摘要

In this study involving 38 remedial and 29 accelerated 11th-grade students, two groups from each ability level received writing-process-based instruction using computers and two other groups from each ability were instructed without the use of computers. The treatment lasted approximately 16 weeks with three data collection points: (a) preinstruction, (b) midinstruction, and (c) postinstruction. The following dependent measures were used in the study: (a) holistic quality scores for the essays, (b) the number of T units for the essays as a measure of fluency, (c) writing apprehension, and (d) computer anxiety. Because the treatments ultimately differed across ability level, 2 (Treatment: computer-based vs. noncomputer-based) × 3 (Writing Task: Essay 1, Essay 2, Essay 3) analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with a repeated measure (writing task: Essay 1, Essay 2, Essay 3) were conducted for each ability group and for each of the four dependent measures, for a total of eight procedures. The results indicated that remedial writers' essays did improve, but irrespective of computers, whereas the accelerated writers' essays did improve more quickly when using computers. Fluency of remedial writers' essays increased when using computers, while the fluency of those remedial writers not using computers did not. Although the fluency of both accelerated groups did increase, the fluency of those using computers was signficantly greater at the mid- and postinstruction points than the fluency of those not using computers. The computer anxiety of remedial writers using computers did decrease, as did the computer anxiety of accelerated writers using computers; the anxiety of those not using computers in both ability groups did not change. The writing apprehension of the remedial students using computers significantly decreased whereas the apprehension of the remedial writers without computers did not. For the accelerated writers, writing apprehension did not decrease, regardless of computer use.