Effect of an Instructional Program for Word Processing and efficient typing on ‘Year 4 students’ composition

Elementary-school students are increasingly required to compose texts on computers. Composing involves both higher-level (planning, translating and revising) and lower-level (i.e., transcription) skills. It is assumed that automatic lower-level skills enable students to focus their attention on the higher composition demands. However, while composing instruction is part of the language arts curriculum, computer literacy instruction (e.g., typing and word processing [WP]) receives less attention. This disparity may affect composition performance, but the evidence for this premise is limited. To address this gap, the Word Processing and Typing Instructional Program (WoTIP) was developed which is grounded in motor learning, ergonomics, and self-regulated learning principles, and incorporated within a language arts curriculum via a collaborative consultation model. The study examined: (a) if the WoTIP will improve students’ typing speed, WP, and composition performance compared to a ‘no touch-typing or WP instruction’ control group; and (b) if improvement in typing and WP will be associated with enhanced composition performance. This study included Grade 4 students (N = 51). Findings showed that the WoTIP group (n = 27) significantly improved their typing and WP performance, as well as their composition quantity and quality, compared to the control group (n = 24). Additionally, a low significant correlation was observed between WP and composition quantity and between typing, WP and composition quality. Hence, it appears that the WoTIP may be an effective program for enhancing both transcription and composing abilities of Grade 4 students.