Van der Steen, S., Samuelson, D. and Thomson, J.M. orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-4851 (2017) The effect of keyboard-based word processing on students with different working memory capacity during the process of academic writing. Written Communication, 34 (3). pp. 280-305. 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.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2017 SAGE Publications. This is an author-produced version of a paper accepted for publication in Written Communication. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy |
Keywords: | real-time writing process; text processing software; manual writing; writing quality; skill theory |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Department of Human Communication Sciences (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 30 May 2017 15:50 |
Last Modified: | 13 Aug 2017 15:42 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088317714232 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/0741088317714232 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:116968 |