One major threat to validity in high-stakes testing is construct-irrelevant variance. In this study we explored whether the transition from a paper-and-pencil to a computer-based test mode in a high-stakes test in China, the College English Test, has brought about variance irrelevant to the construct being assessed in this test. Analyses of the…

The present study aimed at improving Arab Open University (AOU) students' academic writing through integrating some identified reading and writing research skills. This was achieved by applying a blended course which employed Web-Quests (WQs) that integrated the two skills to improve students' academic writing. The study adopted one group design…

The effects of computer and paper test media on EFL test-takers with different computer familiarity in writing scores and in the cognitive writing process have been comprehensively explored from the learners' aspect as well as on the basis of related theories and practice. The results indicate significant differences in test scores among the…

The introduction of digital literacy practices has created a tension in academia, with many academics challenging the view that critical thinking can be fostered on social networks. A quasi-experimental study was conducted on two sections of university-level writing classrooms to determine if there were meaningful differences in the quality of…

In this electronic age, handwriting seems to have lost its place in America's classrooms. But while today's students do use the computer for many projects, ultimately they need to have legible handwriting--for employment applications, loan applications, formal social correspondence, note taking, and test taking. Here, the authors call for a…

Traces the early history of the electronic digital computer and the viewpoints held concerning the computer from its inception to its present status. Highlights three key words ("mimesis,""topic," and "decorum") to develop the rhetoricality of the personal computer as a communications device. (KEH)

Proposes to improve spelling at the high school level by incorporating it into the writing process, using computers to the best advantage, and fostering the improvement of both critical and creative thinking skills. (MS)

Asserts that, although computers pose no threat to reading and writing as modes of learning, knowing, and telling, they represent an attack on the Western tradition of textuality. Argues that instructors are needed whose literacy connects them with the orality of the past and bridges their present experience to the textuality of the future. (PRA)

Describes an experimental course at Allegheny College in computer-generated poetry, which required students to deal simultaneously with grammar and rhetoric, poetics, the computer and BASIC, logic and artificial intelligence in order to create programs that would generate poetry. Examples of verses produced by course participants are included.…

Identifies problems in the computer-supported group writing of MBA students who are both novice strategic report writers and novice users of technology that supports group work. Suggests several reasons for these problems. (KEH)

Suggests the growing use of computers to process information in today's world increases the human need for an interactive competency in writing and reading. The integration of instruction in reading and writing, particularly through use of word processors, is discussed as a way to strengthen this interaction. (MBR)

Experiences in the English department of the State University of New York College at Potsdam illustrate the ways in which writing teachers can use even minimal computer technology for instructional intervention at several stages of the writing process and provide more individualized instruction. Familiarity with the technology breeds innovation.…

Reviews 70 software programs and 19 print publications, and provides a short synopsis of the best programs. Included areas are: teaching others to use AppleWorks, writing templates, curriculum applications, tools for teachers and administrators, and desktop tools and utilities. Lists resource books for AppleWorks. (MVL)

This study was conducted to gather evidence regarding effects of the mode of writing (handwritten vs. word-processed) on compositional quality in a sample of sixth grade students. Questionnaire data and essay scores were gathered to examine the effect of composition mode on essay scores of students of differing computer skill levels. The study was…