Efficacy of a Combined Electronic Essay Writing and Editing Strategy with Postsecondary Students with Developmental Disabilities

We examined the efficacy of a combined electronic essay writing and editing mnemonic driven strategy with 24 college students in a two-year postsecondary program for students with developmental disabilities. We used a pre-posttest experimental design with random assignment to treatment/control groups. During 26 sessions each consisting of 50 min., students in the treatment group received essay writing and editing mnemonic-driven instruction that included explicit instruction and graphic organizers. Students used PCs and Microsoft Word to analyze essay-test questions, complete pre-writing planning, construct essay responses, and edit their work. Univariate analysis of posttests revealed a significant positive difference for the treatment group in using the essay writing and editing strategy steps, and in constructing essay responses. Following the end of the intervention, students responded to an essay prompt. The treatment group significantly outperformed the control group in applying strategy steps and produced better quality essays for ideas/organization, length, and spelling errors.