The Impact of Technology on Students’ Writing Performances in Elementary Classrooms: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Concerns about learning how to write are ubiquitous in elementary schools across the world, one reason why this is the case is that many students received insufficient writing instruction in elementary classrooms. The lack of specific instructional practice and adaptions have impeded students’ writing development. Given the changing nature of literacy and the importance of early writing, integrating technology and writing in elementary classrooms provided a potential solution for this problem. This paper examined 20 empirical studies published between 1990 and 2020 by conducting a meta-analysis to measure the impact of technology on the writing performances of elementary students. The results of this meta-analysis confirmed that technology has a medium effect on writing quality and a strong effect on writing quantity for elementary school students. Subsequently, the authors analyzed the effect sizes of moderating variables by including study features such as types of technology integration, writing genres, demographics, and methodological characteristics. The authors have found that the type of technology integration and writing genres are two important variables affecting the casual relationship of technology and writing performances for elementary students. This aspect has been overlooked by previous literature. The novel findings indicated how we can address writing issues and change classroom writing practices for the better across the world by increasing stakeholders’ awareness about the importance of elementary school writing, with the goal of developing visions for curriculum and instruction at the classroom, school, and policy levels. Recommendations for more research on elementary school writing with advanced technology were discussed.