"Assisting Writers with Assistive Technology"

Maggie Collins

Maggie Collins is earning her Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing at Bowling Green State University. Her research interests include writing program administration, writing assessment, and composition pedagogy. Before attending BGSU, she attended DePaul University where she earned her M.A. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse while working at DePaul University’s University Center for Writing-based Learning as a peer writing tutor.

Contents

Introduction

Assistive Technology Overview

Assistive Technology Overview Cont.

Framework for AT in Writers Centers

Focus Group Research

Focus Group Research Cont.

Discussion

Assistive Technology Recommendations

Conclusion

Works Cited

Assistive Technology Overview, Cont.

In Ellen Urquhart Engstrom’s study (2005) “Reading, Writing, and Assistive Technology: An Integrated Developmental Curriculum for College Students,” the educational psychologist established and implemented a developmental writing course with the objective of teaching writing skills and strategies to efficiently write in academia, and they used AT to “remove the typical barriers to writing and organization” that students with language-based LDs experience (pg. 32). In particular, they used a word-processing program and Inspiration organizational software (Urquhart Engstrom, 2005). The decision to utilize a word-processor directly conflicts with Campbell’s (2004) view that people who have “strong language and writing skills” should use a regular word processor like Microsoft Word to reach their full potential as a writer because Microsoft Word indicates spelling and grammar mistakes that a writer may correct (pg. 169). Both Urquhart Engstrom and Campbell do not address the other side of the learning spectrum, thus creating a conundrum if both sides truly benefit from AT or if their arguments were one-sided. Urquhart Engstrom’s beliefs involve integrating reading and writing in a scaffolded curriculum to ensure student success; her students primarily used word-processing software for reading comprehension whereas Campbell suggests using the AT solely for writing.

Orit Hetzroni and Betty Shrieber, special education researchers, agree that word processors are important in learning environments and found that they improved LD students’ success. Hetzroni and Shrieber determined the students in their study improved their skills to “acceptable” class standards in spelling, organization/structure, and reading (2004, pg. 152). They did not reveal what LDs the participants in their study had, which means they could have experienced different weaknesses than the contributors to Urquhart Engstrom’s study.

While researchers have discovered improvements they can test, the second and third years of CSUN’s study examined the “academic outcomes, behaviors, and attitudes as a result of assistive technology use” (Raskind & Higgins, 1998, pg. 35). Students were found to have an “overall increase in independence” due to the fact they sought less help from other people, and they became more proactive in learning scenarios (Raskind & Higgins, 1998, pg. 36)—they began to offer others help instead of being the ones that were helped. The study (Raskind & Higgins, 1998) concluded that assistive technology helped the students in this study improve their overall confidence with writing. Urquhart Engstrom also found confidence to be a major outcome of using AT. Before her study began (2005), one participant ranked his/her confidence as “fair” (pg. 37), but at the end of the study, this participant ranked his/her confidence the highest level possible. She attributes her students’ aplomb to giving them the tools they need to “free them to focus on understanding written language” (Urquhart Engstrom, 2005, 39). Similarly, Hetzroni and Schriber (2004) found that their students felt more assured because they were utilizing their strengths, which increased how much they could write. By producing more texts, Hetzroni and Schriber speculated that this motivated the students to be more autonomous in their composing processes (2004).

While this section reviewed the benefits of AT, specifically word processing systems, researchers have focused on other forms of AT as well. Campbell studied writers and reviewed other techniques to incorporate AT in writing to improve writers’ skills. She stated writers might use speech-to-text software so that their spoken words can be written for them on and by their computer, which is useful for individuals with better oral language skills than written language skills (Campbell, 2004; Raskind & Higgins, 1998). And these other technologies have the same effects—researchers have found AT continuously improves different writing skills and increases confidence in writers’ abilities.