Does using a computer disturb the organization of children's writing?

Children's speed and fluency of writing has elsewhere been shown to correlate with the quality of their composition. Here, we compared speed and fluency of text production when children aged between 6 and 11 used either a pen or a computer keyboard. Younger children were reliably slower and less fluent when writing at a keyboard. All children were slower when the text was more demanding. These impediments to smooth writing were shown to be associated with the different patterns of visual attention required by the two writing tools. It is argued that writing is usefully approached as a tool-mediated activity whose coordination presents developmental challenges. Moreover, the results suggest grounds for investing more in helping children towards greater confidence in visual-manual control of the keyboard.

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