THE IMPACT OF COMPUTER‐SUPPORTED WRITING INSTRUCTION ON FOURTH‐GRADE STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT LEARNING DISABILITIES

Word processing offers promising support far students with learning disabilities (LD). We compared fourth‐grade students' writing quality over a 7‐month period in computer‐supported versus paper‐and‐pencil writing‐process classrooms. LD and non‐ID students improved the quality of their imaginative stories over time, regardless of the writing tool, with one exception. Students who carried out long‐term writing assignments with paper and pencil demonstrated a negative growth rate in writing quality. LD students in particular may be impeded by paper‐and‐pencil tools during extended writing assignments that call for sustained engagement and revision.