Microcomputer word processor versus handwriting : a comparative study of writing samples produced by mildly mentally handicapped students

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Nancy Nesbitt Vacc (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Richard M. Jaeger

Abstract: Differences between letters of adolescent mildly mentally handicapped (MMH) students written by hand and those composed on a microcomputer using a word processor were examined in terms of amount of time a subject spent completing a letter, the length of a completed letter, the number of words written per unit of time needed to complete a letter, the number of revisions made while composing a letter, and the judged quality of a completed letter. It was hypothesized that MMH students would spend more time completing letters, would produce longer and better-quality letters, and would make more revisions when writing letters on a microcomputer than when completing handwritten letters. Four adolescent MMH students, who had completed a one-semester typing course and had at least one year of experience using a microcomputer, were studied separately in a single-subject, repeated-measures, counter-balanced (i.e., crossover) design. Each subject completed a total of 24 letters; 12 handwritten and 12 composed using a microcomputer.

Additional Information

Publication
Dissertation
Language: English
Date: 1985
Subjects
People with disabilities $x Means of communication
Children with disabilities $x Education
Penmanship
Word processing $x Study and teaching

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