The Impact of Technology Access, Attitudes, and Use on Student Typing and Writing Performance

To gain more information about student writing and typing skills, typed and handwritten responses to narrative story prompts were compared. Across two passages, total words written and story readability were examined. In addition, the potential impact of previous experience with, and attitudes toward, technology that may affect student performance on computer-based assessments, were evaluated. This examination was completed by pilot testing a survey created for this study. Information about student use of, and attitudes toward, technology was gathered through this survey, which examined usage of technology and student endorsement of certain statements about their skills with technology.

Analysis of total words handwritten and typed suggests that students handwrote significantly more words than they typed. In addition, readability scores were significantly higher for handwritten responses. Factor analysis of the survey suggested 3 unique factors; however, some subscale correlations were considered to be questionable, and any results using this survey data should be interpreted cautiously. Overall, correlations do not suggest any strong relationship between typing performance, technology usage, or attitudes toward technology. Theoretical and applied implications of the findings, study limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.