Children's Use of Desktop Publishing Features: Process and Product

Christine M. Bahr, Nickola W. Nelson, Adelia van Meter, and James V. Yanna
Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, Vol 7 No 3/4, 1996, p. 149-177

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two desktop publishing programs on the writing processes and products of students with language-related learning disabilities. One of the programs used a text-based pull-down menu system and offered relatively few options; the other used an icon-based menu system and incorporated numerous activities and options. Eight students wrote one story with each program while participating in an after school computer-based writing lab. Results showed that students spent more time typing and wrote longer stories with the program that offered fewer options. Analyses of student interviews and daily progress reports indicated that some of the students experienced frustration with the more complex program, suggesting that software design features should carefully be considered when selecting desktop publishing tools for use with students who have significant writing difficulties.

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Howard J. Bender, Ph.D.
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The Education Process Improvement Center, Inc.
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