The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students with Different Working Memory Capacity during the Process of Academic Writing
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| Title: | The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students with Different Working Memory Capacity during the Process of Academic Writing |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Van Der Steen, Steffie, Samuelson, Dianne, Thomson, Jennifer M. |
| Source: | Written Communication. Jul 2017 34(3):280-305. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 26 |
| Publication Date: | 2017 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Word Processing, Keyboarding (Data Entry), Writing (Composition), Educational Benefits, Computer Software, Short Term Memory, Academic Discourse, Thinking Skills, Graduate Students, Essays, Comparative Analysis, Multivariate Analysis, Profiles, Scores, Writing Processes, Handwriting, Achievement Tests, Adults, Intelligence Tests, Cognitive Tests, Measurement Techniques, Statistical Analysis, Writing Evaluation, Monte Carlo Methods |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Digit Span Test |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0741088317714232 |
| ISSN: | 0741-0883 |
| Abstract: | This study addresses the current debate about the beneficial effects of text processing software on students with different working memory (WM) during the process of academic writing, especially with regard to the ability to display higher-level conceptual thinking. A total of 54 graduate students (15 male, 39 female) wrote one essay by hand and one by keyboard. Our results show a beneficial effect of text processing software, in terms of both the qualitative and quantitative writing output. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to detect distinct performance groups in the sample. These performance groups mapped onto three differing working memory profiles. The groups with higher mean WM scores manifested superior writing complexity using a keyboard, in contrast to the cluster with the lowest mean WM. The results also point out that more revision during the writing process itself does not inevitably reduce the quality of the final output. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 85 |
| Entry Date: | 2017 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1148267 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | This study addresses the current debate about the beneficial effects of text processing software on students with different working memory (WM) during the process of academic writing, especially with regard to the ability to display higher-level conceptual thinking. A total of 54 graduate students (15 male, 39 female) wrote one essay by hand and one by keyboard. Our results show a beneficial effect of text processing software, in terms of both the qualitative and quantitative writing output. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to detect distinct performance groups in the sample. These performance groups mapped onto three differing working memory profiles. The groups with higher mean WM scores manifested superior writing complexity using a keyboard, in contrast to the cluster with the lowest mean WM. The results also point out that more revision during the writing process itself does not inevitably reduce the quality of the final output. |
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| ISSN: | 0741-0883 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0741088317714232 |
