ERIC Number: ED437030
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-May
Pages: 68
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Facilitating Student Achievement in Writing through the Deft Employment of Computer Technology.
Allison, Bill
This report describes a strategy for infusing computer technology into the essay composition process in order to enhance student achievement. The targeted population consisted of freshman high school students in a middle class community in central Illinois. Problems related to the use of computer technology in the learning process were documented through data collection via student surveys, document analysis of students' writing, observation checklists of student behavior in a computer lab, and interviews. Analysis of probable cause data revealed that the use of computer technology in the composition process without proper instruction in quality essay writing and basic computer literacy skills led to poor essays and technological oversimplification. In general, faculty in the targeted school reported student inability to use computer technology proficiently in the learning process. A review of solution strategies suggested by knowledgeable others, combined with an analysis of the problem setting, resulted in the selection of two major categories of intervention: explicit instruction of components of effective essay writing with guided practice, and explicit instruction of computer literacy skills in a computer lab with guided practice. Post intervention data indicated an increase in students' computer literacy skills, writing skills, and ability to engage in higher order thinking, as well as an increase in students' experiences with diverse educational software. (Contains 18 references.) (Author/MES)
Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Computer Attitudes, Computer Literacy, Computer Uses in Education, Courseware, Essays, Grade 9, High Schools, Instructional Improvement, Questionnaires, Student Attitudes, Student Surveys, Tables (Data), Teaching Methods, Technology Integration, Thinking Skills, Writing (Composition), Writing Instruction, Writing Skills
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Illinois
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Author Affiliations: N/A