Date Approved
5-31-1995
Embargo Period
9-8-2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A. in Elementary Education
Department
Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education
College
College of Education
Advisor
Molinari, Louis
Subject(s)
Creative writing (Elementary education); Fourth grade (Education); Teaching--Aids and devices; Word processing
Disciplines
Elementary Education and Teaching
Abstract
It is the responsibility of an elementary teacher to provide students every opportunity to succeed in the classroom. Writing compositions, using correct style, form and mechanics can be a complex task for elementary students. If a method can be used to assist the relief of these complexities involved in the writing process, then this development should be encouraged.
The purpose of this study was to determine if fourth grade students will become better writers producing clearer style, form, and mechanics when using the word processor in the writing process. It will also determine if the use of telecommunications will cause students to edit and proofread more frequently.
The subjects of this study were fourth grade students at Hamilton School in Voorhees Township, New Jersey public schools. The experimental group consisted of twenty students.
Ten of the twenty students used the word processor alone to compose a final composition. The other ten students used the word processor and telecommunicated their final draft to twenty other students at a distant elementary school within the Voorhees Township school district. The results of their final compositions was determined by the Registered Holistic Scoring method.
The time involved in this study was ten weeks, The students produced a final draft following the writing process. Registered Holistic Scoring was the instrument used to grade the students' compositions. Using a computer analysis program for a t-test, the scores were compared as a group and by gender. Differences were considered significant at the 0.05 level of confidence.
When the data was analyzed, the results clearly show that the use of the word processor with telecommunications as compared to using the word processor alone made little significance in the quality and productivity of fourth grade students' creative writing.
Recommended Citation
Carroll, Andrea J., "A study of the effects of using the word processor and telecommunications in the writing process for elementary students" (1995). Theses and Dissertations. 2226.
https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/2226
