Writing Performance

Written Communication Jul 1987

RONALD T. KELLOGG

Abstract

Preparing a written outline during prewriting and composing a rough rather than a polished first draft are cognitive strategies that may lessen a writer's work load. The present laboratory and field research examined whether these strategies enhance writing performance. In an experiment, I manipulated the use of these strategies by college students in a letter writing task. The students' writing process, efficiency, and quality were examined. The results showed that preparing a written outline, compared with not doing so, increased the time spent translating ideas into text, improved the quality of letters, and failed to enhance overall efficiency. The use of rough versus polished drafts affected when the students reviewed their work, as expected, but had no influence on quality or efficiency. A survey of science and engineering faculty revealed that the frequency of using written outlines correlated positively with writing productivity, whereas use of polished drafts was uncorrelated with productivity.

Journal: Written Communication
Published: 1987-07-01
DOI: 10.1177/0741088387004003003
Open Access: Closed
Topics: affect and writing

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (2)

Gao et al. (2026)

Modeling Writing Processes and Predicting Text Quality in Technical Communication

Written Communication
Lansman et al. (1993)

Using the writing environment to study writers' strategies

Computers and Composition

Cites in this index (9)

KENNEDY (1985)

The Composing Process of College Students Writing from Sources

Written Communication
BOICE (1985)

Cognitive Components of Blocking

Written Communication
Schumacher et al. (1984)

Cognitive Activities of Beginning and Advanced College Writers: A Pausal Analysis

Research in the Teaching of English
Charney (1984)

The Validity of Using Holistic Scoring to Evaluate Writing: A Critical Overview

Research in the Teaching of English
BRELAND et al. (1984)

Perceptions of Writing Skills

Written Communication

Show all 9 →

FLOWER et al. (1984)

Images, Plans, and Prose

Written Communication
Stiggins (1982)

A Comparison of Direct and Indirect Writing Assessment Methods

Research in the Teaching of English
Freedman (1981)

Influences on Evaluators of Expository Essays: Beyond the Text

Research in the Teaching of English
Stallard (1974)

An Analysis of the Writing Behavior of Good Student Writers

Research in the Teaching of English

Also cites 11 works outside this index ↓

10.1007/BF00975034

↗
10.1080/00461528209529251

↗
10.1037/0033-295X.87.3.215

↗
10.1037/0022-0663.74.4.557

↗
10.1037/0096-1523.4.4.648

↗
10.1145/2163.358100

↗
10.1177/001872678203500104

↗
10.2466/pms.1983.57.3.963

↗
10.1080/00220671.1970.10884123

↗
10.2307/356586

↗
10.2190/EHRV-RLV5-EVW6-NH58

↗

CrossRef global citation count: 51 View in citation network →