Written Communication Jan 1994

Technological Indeterminacy: The Role of Classroom Writing Practices and Pedagogy in Shaping Student Use of the Computer

CYNTHIA GREENLEAF

Abstract

This study proceeds from the assumption that computers do not function as independent variables in classrooms, but rather as part of a complex network of social and pedagogical interactions. It examines the integration of computers into the writing practices of a remedial English class in an urban high school. Computers and word processors were introduced midway into the school year. The class was observed and recorded daily throughout the academic year, and all written work was collected. Six students were selected for in-depth focus as they carried out writing tasks. Analysis focuses on how classroom writing practices were structured and carried out and how students participated in writing tasks before and after the computers arrived. Although many changes accompanied the use of computers, the study concludes that the teacher's structuring of writing instruction had the greatest impact on both student writing and the ways computers entered into that writing.

Journal
Written Communication
Published
1994-01-01
DOI
10.1177/0741088394011001005
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
writing pedagogy teacher development digital rhetoric
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (1)

  1. Susser (1998)
    The mysterious disappearance of word processing
    Computers and Composition

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CrossRef global citation count: 11 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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