This study used the word processor as a tool for written output to examine the effects of an experiential 'Write to Read' program on typing performance, decoding strategies and successive processing in learning disordered children with motor dysfunction. A case history approach was taken in view of the small number of subjects available, and in order to adequately describe each individual's unique and complex cognitive motor profile. Subjects involved in the study were three male students in a Junior Learning Assistance Class in a Lower Mainland British Columbia school district elementary school. Each of the students had a history of poor motor performance, poor handwriting and delayed reading ability. The three subjects were involved in an eight week intervention program which taught keyboarding and word processing techniques using the 'Write to Read' program, a systematic method of training the motor skills required. It was hypothesized that, if the learning disabled student with poor motor skills could use the word processor as an adjunct to handwriting, the improved legibility would facilitate consistent decoding by the student of his own work, reinforcing acquisition of early reading skills. Within the case history format, a theoretical frame of reference based on the simultaneous - successive information processing model was chosen and a limited time series design measured the effects of the intervention on successive processing as determined by a block sequencing task (Das, Kirby and Jarman, 1980). The data was collected for each student and graphed for visual inspection, graphic analysis and statistical analysis. One subject showed a stable and significant intervention effect, and no stable trends or significant results for successive processing were found in the other two subjects. Rates of word processing output increased over the course of the study and the number of errors declined. All subjects made progress in measures of decoding and word analysis. Implications for future research and professional practice were described. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Carpal tunnel syndrome has been linked to occupations which use a computer workstation. Two factors thought to be responsible for this problem are repetition and awkward wrist postures. This experiment examined wrist flexion-extension, radial-ulnar deviation, and pronation-supination for 24 righthanded subjects at 25 combinations of keyboard height and slope. Keyboard heights tested were: -10, -5, 0, 5, and 10 cm from elbow height, and keyboard slopes tested were: -45, -22, 0, 22, and 45 degrees from horizontal. Keyboard slopes were considered negative if they sloped away from the subject and positive if they sloped towards the subject. Subjects wore a wrist monitor, comprised of metal strips with potentiometers, on each hand and typed a text passage for two minutes in each experimental condition. The number of correct words per minute was also measured in each experimental condition. Results indicated that flexion was minimum when the keyboard was 45 degrees from horizontal, and that overall the left wrist exhibited extension while the right wrist exhibited flexion. Ulnar deviation was minimized when the keyboard height was -10 cm below elbow height, and both ulnar and radial deviation were minimized at slope conditions 22 and 45 degrees from horizontal. Higher keyboard heights coupled with positive slopes reduced radial and ulnar deviation as did lower keyboard heights coupled with negative slopes. For low keyboard heights, the right hand exhibited more extreme ulnar deviation than the left hand. Pronation was minimum when the keyboard was 10 cm above elbow height and -45 degrees from horizontal, and was maximum when the keyboard was -5 cm below operator elbow height and 45 degrees from horizontal. Correct words typed per minute was maximun1 at 0 degrees from horizontal, and decreased quadratically as slope was both increased and decreased. / Master of Science

This was a study of middle school students and informal computer usage before entering a forma1 keyboarding course. The purposes of the study were (a) to determine the kinds of informal keyboarding experiences middle school students were exposed to before receiving formal training, (b) to determine if there was a difference in straight copy speed and accuracy among students who had three levels of previous informal keyboarding experience, and (c) to determine if there was a difference in straight copy speed and accuracy among students who had home access to persona1 computers. The students involved in the study were seventh and eighth graders at Blacksburg Middle School and Christiansburg Middle School enrolled in first semester Keyboarding during the 1987-88 school year. These students answered questionnaires that related to their personal experiences with computers and were placed in one of three groups depending upon the amount of time spent using a keyboard before entering a formal keyboarding course. Each student took timed writings and were given a score for speed and accuracy. A one-way analysis of variance was performed to determine if there was a difference between groups on straight copy speed and accuracy scores. The analysis of the data indicated that there was no significant difference in speed or accuracy scores between those students who had very little or no previous informa1 experience and those students who had six months previous informa1 experience. Those students who had a year or more of previous informa1 experience had better speed scores than students who had less than a year of previous informal experience. The data indicated there was no significant difference among any of the groups in accuracy scores. The data also indicated there was a significant difference in speed scores of those students who had access to a home computer and those students who did not. From the study it was concluded that: (a) students who have previous informal keyboarding experiences of one year or more have significantly higher keyboarding straight copy speed than those students who had less than one year of informa1 experiences and (b) previous informal keyboarding experience does not influence straight copy accuracy. / Master of Science

This research study examined the design of a virtual keyboard that can be used for text entry with a rotary controller, particularly when users may differ in age and experience with a particular system. I specifically examined the shape and letter arrangement on the virtual keyboard to help determine the best features to use in a design. Two keyboard shapes, an Oval and a Plus, were selected to represent different aspects of the shape. Two keyboard arrangements, Alphabetic and a Standard QWERTY-based ordering, were selected to represent a well-known and less familiar arrangement. In the experiment, older and younger adults entered words over two consecutive days. Most of the time, they used either the Oval or the Plus, but they also used the alternate shape at specific points during their practice session to allow assessment of their ability to transfer what they had learned. At the end of the second day, they also used a variation of the practiced arrangement to examine how well they had learned the letter arrangement. Text entry performance on both shapes improved as a function of practice, demonstrating that participants could learn even unfamiliar devices and virtual keyboards to complete a word entry task. No overall shape effects were found for any level of performance, but shape did affect how participants learned and performed the word entry task. In particular, unique visual features on a shape may facilitate memorization of letter/visual cue mappings. These shape features are particularly important for older adults, as younger adults seem to develop a mental model that helps them memorize letter locations on either shape. With practice, older adults could achieve optimal performance levels with an Alphabetic keyboard on the Plus shape that has the more visually unique corners. In general, alphabetic ordering is best not only because it helped visual search, but also because it facilitated better movement planning. Overall, designers should consider creating unique visual features on a virtual keyboard that will blend with the compatibility and allowed movements for the selected device to create an effective virtual keyboard.

No description available.

When typing on a keyboard, the fingers may be in awkward postures, making repetitive motions, and exerting high forces which are risk factors of cumulative trauma disorders. In this experiment, the kinematics of the fingers while typing were investigated for 12 right-handed subjects (6 male and 6 female) to gain a better understanding of factors which influence how a finger strikes a key. The apparatus for this experiment included an exoskeleton to determine angular displacements of the finger joints and a motion analysis system to determine the coordinates of the wrist and the keys on the keyboard. This experiment examined four dependent variables: the fingertip angle with respect to the horizontal at the point of contact and at the point of maximum depression of the key, and the linear vertical and horizontal components of velocity of fingertip due to the finger joints at the point of contact with the key. The factors investigated included <i>Gender, Finger</i> (Index, Middle, and Ring), <i>Row</i> (Upper, Middle, and Lower), and <i>Digraph</i> (typing two letters with the same finger, with two fingers on the same hand, or with two opposite hands). The results indicated that for all four dependent measures, there was a significant difference between all three levels of <i>Row</i>. For the factor <i>Finger</i>, there was no significant difference between the middle and ring fingers. Typing with the index finger, typing two letters with the same finger, or typing on the upper row resulted in smaller fingertip angles than the other conditions. All levels of <i>Digraph</i> resulted in significantly different linear vertical velocities of the fingertip while certain combinations of the levels of <i>Finger, Row</i>, and <i>Gender</i> were significantly different for the linear horizontal velocities. From the results, it appears that the methods employed in this experiment were effective to measure the angle of the fmgertip at the point of contact and at the point of maximum depression and to measure the linear vertical and horizontal components of velocity produced by the finger joints. The results for the linear vertical and horizontal components of velocity for the fingertip also indicate that the wrist velocity (which was not measured) may contribute to the overall fmgertip velocities at the point of contact with the key and for this reason, should be examined in future research. / Master of Science

Three major principles of learning a chord keyboarding task were investigated. Five subjects were taught 18 characters on a chord keyboard, then practiced improving their keying speed for about 60 hours. The first objective of the study was to observe long-term learning on a keyboarding task. The performance, in characters typed per minute, was recorded over the entire range of the experiment. Typing skill improved quickly in the beginning and then slowed, but performance had not reached a stable peak by the end of the experiment. The second objective of this study was to determine a function that describes performance progress from initial training to a high keying speed. Five functions were evaluated; a function which predicts the logarithm of the dependent variable (characters per minute) from the logarithm of the regressor variable provided a good fit to the actual data. The final form of the equation was CPM; = e^B₀T_i^B₁ where CPM_i; = performance in characters per minute on the i-th interval, T_i = the i-th interval of practice, and B₀ and B₁ are fitted coefficients. The second objective also considered the form that T_i (from the above equation) should take. Performance can be predicted from number of repetitions such as trials, or from amount of practice such as hours. Both trials and time were used as predictor variables and both provided equally accurate predictions of typing speed. Both also provided excellent fits in conjunction with the Log-Log equation. Thus, it appears the Log-Log function is fairly robust in predicting performance from different variables. The third objective was to investigate how many trials of performance are needed before the entire learning function can be reasonably determined. In this experiment, subjects practiced for an extended period of time (about 60 hours) so a fairly complete progression of performance could be gathered. Yet, it would be more convenient to collect data for only a few hours and deduce the ensuing performance of the subject. The coefficients of the Log-Log function were determined using only the first 25, 50, 100, 150, and 200 of the initial performance points (out of about 550 total actual data points). The mean squared error (MSE) was calculated for each of these fits and compared to the MSE of the fit using all points. It appears that at least 50 performance data points are required to reduce the error to a reasonably acceptable level. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was the systematic development and formative evaluation of a research-based model program for teaching alphabetic keyboarding skills via microcomputer. A microcomputer instructional program was developed based on instructional strategies and psychological concepts that were considered appropriate during the early stages of teaching typewriting. These strategies and concepts were identified from a review of the literature and validated by subject-matter experts. The model program was presented in two lessons and provided instruction on keyboarding the home, the “e,” the “n,” and the return keys and the space bar. A minimum criterion performance level based on subject scores on one-minute timed writings was specified. A formative evaluation design was used in program tryout and revision. Sixty-six community college nontypists participated in three tryout cycles: initial developmental testing, Field Test A, and Field Test B. Two sources of background information were collected for each subject: demographic data and keyboarding aptitude data. Diagnostic and revision data were analyzed from subjects' performance scores, time required to complete the program, researcher's technique ratings, subjects' interviews, and researcher's observations. Ninety percent of the subjects in Field Test A achieved the instructional objectives and reached the criterion level, and ninety percent of the subjects in Field Test B also reached criterion level. The revisions made to the program during the formative evaluation process made the program more efficient as evidenced by the reduction in time required to complete the program. The decrease in the number of problems identified after each testing cycle also indicated that the program became more effective. Based on data analyzed from the study, the microcomputer is an effective medium for teaching initial keyboarding skills. The study recommends that teachers of typewriting or keyboarding consider microcomputer-based instruction as a teaching method. / Ed. D.

Thesis (M. Tech. Office Management and Technology) --Vaal University of Technology / The world of digital interactivity, of computers, of cyberspace and the "e-revolution', is making computer literacy more indispensable than ever. There is an increasing demand for ICT skills worldwide- South Africa is not alone in identifying shortages. The information and communication technology in South Africa is exacerbated by emigration on the one hand and the previously disadvantaged learners on the other hand. With an education system that is stretched, higher education has not kept pace with information and communication technology training in South Africa, therefore learners display a shortcoming of basic computer skills. The purpose of this study is to emphasise the importance of implementing computer literacy training throughout the entire learning programme of learners at higher education institutions. Learners randomly selected from the Faculty of Management Sciences, Vaal University of Technology, indicated their computer literacy via questionnaires and levels of experience. It is clear that the abilities of the learners are not sufficient to ensure that they are computer literate or that they will be effective users in the workplace. This study results in a powerful argument in support of the extension of continued growth in computer usage in the workplace.

In the last several years, there has been an interest in graphical user interfaces as compared with character user interfaces. The "mouse" is the device most closely associated with graphical user interfaces. Key strokes are more closely associated with character user interfaces. Given these associations, is there a preference for the keyboard or for the mouse as an input device? The determination of user preference was reduced to the determination of preference of key strokes or mouse clicks for selection of main menu items. The subjects, university students working with Microsoft Works by Microsoft Corporation, copyright 1987-1989, were learning how to use application software. While Microsoft Works was running, tracking software recorded every user key stroke and mouse click, together with data about these key strokes and mouse clicks. From the analysis of these data, common preference for the means of menu item selection was determined.