TSL641

1. Computers in the Second Language Writing Classroom
The early studies of computer use in composition focused almost exclusively on word
processing.
Some of the outcomes of the studies were that students who use word processors have been
said
• to spend more time writing
• to alter revision behaviour
• to make more and different types of revisions
• to show less of a tendency towards writer's block
• to improve their attitudes toward writing
But for many positive claims, there are negative counter-claims.
i.e. the word processor does make it easier to revise. However, the revision process is more
complex, in that it involves more steps and more different types of manipulation.
Due to the mixed results in studies that compare computer-assisted texts to traditionally
produced texts + the general e