The Effect of Word Processing on the Quality of Writing and Self-Esteem of Secondary School English-As-Second-Language Students: Writing without Censure

Abstract

Current research on the academic and social status of ESL students focuses upon the three major changes that have occurred in large urban centers throughout the United States: the increased population of limited-English-proficient youngsters, the increased dropout rate among these students despite a decrease among the native-speaking population, and the installation of microcomputers in all city secondary schools. The effect of using word processing on the self-esteem and quality of writing of sixty-six beginning ESL students in an urban secondary school was the focus of this research. A quasi-experimental study using a pretest/posttest design was conducted for a period of one cycle of thirteen weeks. It was hypothesized that the use of word processing would improve the quality of writing and self-esteem. The findings established that there was a statistically significant difference in the quality of writing between the experimental group, which used word processing, and the control group, which used traditional pen and paper procedures. The expectation of improvement of self-esteem was not supported.