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The computer-mediated communication (CMC) learning environment focuses on children's interaction with the computers and their mastery of the technology as potential for learning. Peer interaction mainly in cooperative and collaborative learning environments (CL) focus on the contribution of peers to literacy and writing development. A study examined writing development and perception about writing of Arab and Jewish elementary school children in Israel within each of the above learning environments and within an integrated method of CL-CMC. Each of the three methods was carefully designed and implemented based on the theoretical model of the six "mirrors" of the classroom (Hertz-Lazarowitz, 1992). The central research question was to find the differential contribution of each of these learning environments in children's writing development. Research was conducted within 20 fifth and sixth grade classrooms in six schools, three Arab and three Jewish. Data were collected from 599 students (210 Jewish, 389 Arab) twice in the school year, and multivariate repeated measures analysis was conducted on this data. The CL-CMC learning environment created the larger gains with time in scores for the students. In the CL only, the scores decreased slightly; in the CMC no gains were found in all of the measures. The important finding is that CL-CMC equalized and enriched significantly Arabs and girls groups which usually gain less. In addition, the contribution of CL-CMC to the affective domains of children's writing is prominent. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures, and 58 references.) (NKA)

The computer-mediated communication (CMC) learning environment focuses on children's interaction with the computers and their mastery of the technology as potential for learning. Peer interaction mainly in cooperative and collaborative learning environments (CL) focus on the contribution of peers to literacy and writing development. A study examined writing development and perception about writing of Arab and Jewish elementary school children in Israel within each of the above learning environments and within an integrated method of CL-CMC. Each of the three methods was carefully designed and implemented based on the theoretical model of the six "mirrors" of the classroom (Hertz-Lazarowitz, 1992). The central research question was to find the differential contribution of each of these learning environments in children's writing development. Research was conducted within 20 fifth and sixth grade classrooms in six schools, three Arab and three Jewish. Data were collected from 599 students (210 Jewish, 389 Arab) twice in the school year, and multivariate repeated measures analysis was conducted on this data. The CL-CMC learning environment created the larger gains with time in scores for the students. In the CL only, the scores decreased slightly; in the CMC no gains were found in all of the measures. The important finding is that CL-CMC equalized and enriched significantly Arabs and girls groups which usually gain less. In addition, the contribution of CL-CMC to the affective domains of children's writing is prominent. (Contains 4 tables, 5 figures, and 58 references.) (NKA)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of TRALE (Technology-Rich Authentic Learning Environments) on children's writing development by tracing the logical sequence of how TRALE fostered goal-directed behavior and planning that resulted in initiating and maintaining cognitive components until a written product was completed. The subjects were young African-American 3rd graders in a low-performing, low SES urban public school. Student essays were analyzed using Meyer's (1975) prose analysis method applying rhetorical predicates and role relations.The multivariate and subsequent univariate tests indicated that bey the end of the school year theTRALE students' essays became quantitatively and qualitatively superior (syntactically and rhetorically more coherent and complex) to products whose authors were instructed in a more traditional classroom.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of TRALE (Technology-Rich Authentic Learning Environments) on children's writing development by tracing the logical sequence of how TRALE fostered goal-directed behavior and planning that resulted in initiating and maintaining cognitive components until a written product was completed. The subjects were young African-American 3rd graders in a low-performing, low SES urban public school. Student essays were analyzed using Meyer's (1975) prose analysis method applying rhetorical predicates and role relations.The multivariate and subsequent univariate tests indicated that bey the end of the school year theTRALE students' essays became quantitatively and qualitatively superior (syntactically and rhetorically more coherent and complex) to products whose authors were instructed in a more traditional classroom.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of TRALE (Technology-Rich Authentic Learning Environments) on children's writing development by tracing the logical sequence of how TRALE fostered goal-directed behavior and planning that resulted in initiating and maintaining cognitive components until a written product was completed. The subjects were young African-American 3rd graders in a low-performing, low SES urban public school. Student essays were analyzed using Meyer's (1975) prose analysis method applying rhetorical predicates and role relations.The multivariate and subsequent univariate tests indicated that bey the end of the school year theTRALE students' essays became quantitatively and qualitatively superior (syntactically and rhetorically more coherent and complex) to products whose authors were instructed in a more traditional classroom.

Limited studies have been conducted to examine how effective and what impacts dealing with students' learning experiences as well as the problems faced by the students. This study focused on English student teachers' experiences on the advantages and problems faced in using Social Networking Services (SNS) in English as Foreign Language (EFL) writing courses which is a part of larger research involving the use of SNS in two state universities in Jambi. This research was conducted in ten classes of two Indonesian universities for one year. This qualitative research involved a total of 6 focus group discussions with 60 students. Prior to focus group discussion, demographic questionnaires were distributed to know general information of all participants in relation to the use of SNS. A thematic analysis revealed general background of the participants in relation to the use of SNS, advantages of SNS use in writing courses, problems faced of the SNS use. The findings contribute to current understanding about how English student teachers experience using SNS. Based on the findings, this research offers policy recommendation to expand the use of SNS in EFL courses.

This study examined differences between two populations of composition students over the course of a semester in their perceptions of collaboration as reported in the pre- and post-surveys. In addition, using an assessment rubric developed by the researchers, the study examined students' audience awareness as demonstrated in their writing. Both groups of students were taught by the same instructor and had the same writing assignments; both classes incorporated a pedagogy of collaborative learning to help students develop a sense of belonging to a discourse community; and both sections used networked computers as learning, writing, and communication tools. The distinguishing variable between the two sections was the absence of face-to-face communication among students in the online class. The following research questions were posed in the study: (1) Do students differ in how they value collaboration during the writing process? (2) Do students differ in how they address audience needs in their writing products? (3) Do students differ in their level of satisfaction with their learning experience? Conclusions from this study are: online students tend to be more independent learners, valuing collaboration less than do on-campus students; online interaction appears to increase audience awareness in students' writing; and students in both sections reported positive experiences with their respective classes. (Contains 20 references.) (Author/AEF)

A study was conducted to determine whether manipulating the classroom environment to be either apprehension producing (AP) or apprehension reducing (AR) could significantly change the level of students' dispositional writing apprehension. Five student teachers and one secondary education supervisor volunteered to participate in the experiment and developed two classroom environments, one AP and one AR. Subjects were 272 students, grades 7-12, enrolled in English classes at cooperating secondary schools. Each student teacher selected two comparable classes in which to implement one AP treatment and one AR treatment, randomly assigned. The treatments lasted 6 weeks and consisted of six writing assignments--one administered per week. In AP classroom environments, students were exposed to high levels of conspicuousness, intense evaluation schemes, continually novel assignments, and ambiguity of directions. In AR classroom environments, students were exposed to low levels of conspicuousness, de-emphasized evaluation schemes, articulation of assignment sequences, and clear directions. Maintenance of treatment was insured through student logs and supervisor observation. Daly and Miller's Writing Apprehension Test, designed to measure dispositional apprehension, was administered to all classes both before and immediately following the treatments. It was hypothesized that posttest scores would indicate significant differences in levels of dispositional writing apprehension between the AP and AR classrooms. Results indicated that classrooms with apprehension-producing environments yielded significantly higher levels of student apprehension than did classrooms with apprehension-reducing environments. (Two tables of data are included and 12 references are attached.) (MG)

This paper describes the application of local area network (LAN) technology, especially electronic mail (E-mail), to develop the written communication skills of 10 deaf students in two pre-high school science classes at a school for the deaf. Students used E-mail for such activities as answering questions, keeping a log, communicating with an adult via a dialogue journal, and writing reports. Writing samples were collected at the beginning and end of the school year. In one classroom the network was used consistently throughout the school year in all areas of the curriculum, and students produced a great deal of writing on the network. In the second classroom, network activities remained separate from the curriculum and were only used during two intervals, one in the fall and one in the spring. Students in the high-use classroom demonstrated significant improvements in both the communicative effectiveness and connectedness of their writing. No improvement in writing performance was discerned for students in the second classroom. (DB)

This paper describes the application of local area network (LAN) technology, especially electronic mail (E-mail), to develop the written communication skills of 10 deaf students in two pre-high school science classes at a school for the deaf. Students used E-mail for such activities as answering questions, keeping a log, communicating with an adult via a dialogue journal, and writing reports. Writing samples were collected at the beginning and end of the school year. In one classroom the network was used consistently throughout the school year in all areas of the curriculum, and students produced a great deal of writing on the network. In the second classroom, network activities remained separate from the curriculum and were only used during two intervals, one in the fall and one in the spring. Students in the high-use classroom demonstrated significant improvements in both the communicative effectiveness and connectedness of their writing. No improvement in writing performance was discerned for students in the second classroom. (DB)

When the national literature (Studies conducted in Turkey) is examined in recent years, it is noteworthy that the writing activities for learning purposes have started to be widely used in educational environments. The increased work in this area has also brought the need for compiling and reviewing the studies in the literature. For this purpose, in the study, firstly what is written for learning purposes and then its use in the educational environment is discussed in the light of academic studies. In the study conducted according to the descriptive method, the articles and theses in the indexed journals were scanned in databases such as Ebsco Host, Ulakbim, National Thesis Center of the Council of Higher Education and Google Academic. Between 2009 and 2017, a total of 33 scientific publications on writing to learn were included in the research. In the analysis through articles and theses reached: The purpose, teaching stages, type of research/data collection tools, methods and results used as an analysis unit. As a result, it was seen that the national field was mostly worked for similar purposes and similar results were achieved. These studies, which were mostly completed with quantitative research methods, showed that writing activities for learning purposes had positive effects on students' academic achievement, and sometimes positive and sometimes no effects on their attitudes.

The present study explores four L2 mature writers' development of writing and voices in English between different academic environments, and seeks to create more meaningful grounds for teaching academic ESL writing in the U.S. and college writing in Taiwan. The approach of this study is influenced by Hirvela and Belcher's (2001) reading of terms they define as voicist--in other words, terms that refer to voices and identities. Qualitative research methodology is adequate for this exploratory study because of its capacity to gain in-depth and interpretive understanding of the composing process that second language writers employ in different contexts. The study results have highlighted some of the major challenges of academic writing Taiwanese L2 writers encounter when studying abroad at graduate level. One of the salient problems is inadequate academic writing skills, and the sub-problem is a failure to express ideas with a strong individual voice and to position themselves appropriately in their texts (e.g. having a narrow scope of positioning themselves, applying limited linguistic features to position themselves and lacking confidence to express their ideas and to position themselves in texts). As a result, they face great challenges in the Western educational system, but with their development of academic writing skills, voice, critical thinking through academic writing practices, L2 writers can overcome the challenges and become successful writers which can in turn lead to successful academic careers and publishing.

This publication demonstrates the potential of dynamic literate environments and the importance of nurturing a culture of reading and writing, examining four different contexts: digital environments, intergenerational settings, community libraries and prisons. The case studies, from UNESCO's Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database (LitBase), show how the creation of opportunities and demand to use, improve and sustain (newly) acquired literacy skills can have a positive impact on people's motivation to (re-)engage in learning and encourage them to further integrate literacy into their everyday lives. [Foreword by Arne Carlsen.]

This publication demonstrates the potential of dynamic literate environments and the importance of nurturing a culture of reading and writing, examining four different contexts: digital environments, intergenerational settings, community libraries and prisons. The case studies, from UNESCO's Effective Literacy and Numeracy Practices Database (LitBase), show how the creation of opportunities and demand to use, improve and sustain (newly) acquired literacy skills can have a positive impact on people's motivation to (re-)engage in learning and encourage them to further integrate literacy into their everyday lives. [Foreword by Arne Carlsen.]

The purposes of this study are to examine what type of errors students make more between form-based and meaning-based errors, as well as to investigate in which error categories Korean learners frequently make errors and mistakes. In three studies, 264 essays from 42 subjects who were at a Korean university were collected. This study adopted error correction symbols by Harmer (2007) to analyze error categories simply and easily. The results indicated that form-based errors (91%) were generally reported much more than meaning-based errors (9%) by both the teacher's and students' review. In contrast, although students had different situations in three studies (e.g., a case study, two sample studies), the results were not much different: learners frequently made errors with "the article" and "grammar" categories. In English as foreign language (EFL) environments, interactions via peer-review feedback have been considered as profitable tools; however, teacher-review feedback is still required to facilitate students' second/foreign language (L2) development. These findings suggest that students will develop the quality as well as the accuracy of their writing when they recognize the most frequent error categories in their L2 writing. (Contains 4 figures, 11 tables, and 5 footnotes.)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges faced by first-year students as they negotiated the transition from the writing environment of high school to the writing environment of university. The research for the dissertation was undertaken using a mixed-method explanatory design. This yielded a description of students' perceptions of the differences between their high school writing and first-year university writing environments. The research questions were as follows: what are high school students' perceptions of their writing environment; and what differences, if any, do students perceive as different in the writing environment between high school and first-year university? A total of one hundred and forty-four Grade 12 students completed a quantitative survey asking for their perceptions of the high school writing environment, and twenty students took part either in qualitative focus groups or individual interviews. A follow-up interview was conducted with fourteen of the original twenty participants while they were in the process of completing their first term at university. The results indicated that students' perceptions were very much influenced by individual teachers and instructors and by their own expectations. Recommendations, implications for further research, and implications for program development are offered as a way to extend the knowledge in this area. The following are appended: (1) Quantitative Survey for High School Students; (2) Interview/Focus Group Protocol; and (3) Ethics Approval Certificate.

This essay focuses on a project that involves the integration of various electronic media and traditional classroom activities with the purpose of creating and maintaining a creative community. This evolving hybrid learning project seeks to integrate not only college classrooms and electronic environments, but also various communities of writers, from college students enrolled in various classes to elementary school children. The integration of electronic technologies and traditional learning environments can develop and reinforce the skills and talents at the heart of the teaching enterprise and the creative process.