Many adults who enter universities to continue their education are placed in developmental or basic writing classes. With the prevalence of computers on university campuses, some of these writing classes are taught in computerbased classrooms, which may cause adult learners to be apprehensive of both writing and computers. Previous research studies regarding writing and computer apprehension have examined traditional age college students, ignoring how the social context of the computer-based classroom and the computers used as tools for writing may affect adult learners' attitudes toward both writing and computers. The purpose of this descriptive study of adult developmental writers was to examine their perceptions of the effects of computers in a computer-based writing classroom, focusing on how the context of the classroom, including the social situation within the computer-based classroom, influenced their attitudes and apprehension toward both writing and computers.In order to obtain scores that indicated students' apprehension toward writing and computers, the Daly-Miller Writing Apprehension Test and the Loyd and Gressard Computer Attitude Survey were given to adult learners (n=41) at the beginning and the end of the semester to determine changes in students' apprehension. Additional data from interviews, observation reports, and journals of twelve adult learners allowed the researcher to examine students' perceptions of their interactions with other students and between students and their computers, thus promoting an understanding of the context in which learning to write took place.Findings indicated that adult learners' apprehension scores toward writing and computers decreased by the end of the semester in the computer-based classroom. Qualitative data revealed that the computer-based classroom provided a context that enabled students to form supportive peer groups which helped and impacted their writing, allowing them to develop fluid processes for writing with computers.This study has particular relevance for understanding how adults learn to write in various settings. Adult learners are a special population with unique needs. Apprehension toward writing and computers affects adult learners' attitudes toward writing, many times causing them to drop out of educational programs. This study illuminates the problems and feelings adults face as they learn to write using computers. / Department of Educational Leadership
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176597 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Hansman-Ferguson, Catherine A. |
| Contributors | Wood, George S. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | x, 191 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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