Deleters and Indenters—What's in a Keystroke? Analysis of the 2011 NAEP Computer-Based Writing Assessment

Authors: Tamara Powell Tate, Mark Warschauer
Presented at 2017 AERA

​Abstract: Today’s written communication is largely done via computer. Because the writing process is shaped by the tools we use, computer-based writing is, to an extent, different from writing with pen and paper. To better understand the impacts of shifting to computer-based writing, we take advantage of the additional information provided by computer-based assessments—keystroke data. We examine the relationship between students’ use of computers during the assessment and their achievement on the first national computer-based writing assessment in the United States, the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessment. Using data from over 24,100 eighth grade students, we identified several different patterns of keystroke usage on the computer-based NAEP assessment.