Using keystroke-logging to investigate the effects of dyslexia and planning on writing processes

Hall, Sophie, Marie (2020) Using keystroke-logging to investigate the effects of dyslexia and planning on writing processes. Earli Sig27 Conference, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Netherlands. 14 - 16 Dec 2020. p. 42 .

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

This presentation will focus on keystroke logging as a tool to assess the relationships between the
processes involved in writing with text quality and knowledge development, or 'discovery' (Baaijen &
Galbraith, 2018). Data collection for this project is ongoing, so the talk will focus on how keystrokes
are analysed in relation to text quality and the development of the writer’s understanding, highlighting
issues that can arise when using keystroke logging as a tool for examining writing processes. This quasiexperimental study was designed to explore the effect of planning on text quality and the writer’s
subjective understanding for dyslexic and non-dyslexic undergraduates. 120 participants were
randomly allocated to one of two planning conditions: (i) outline planning, in which students were
asked to plan and write a well-formed essay; (ii) rough drafting, in which students were asked to write
a rough draft of an essay with relaxed writing constraints and without an outline. Keystrokes were
logged throughout the 30-minute writing period. Writers were asked to rate their subjective
understanding of the topic before and after writing, and two judges will rate the quality of the final
text. Composite measures derived from the keystroke logs, including pause bursts and revisions, will
be used to assess the relationships between writing processes, text quality, and discovery. It is
anticipated that the full analysis will be restricted to the non-dyslexic sample, but the presentation
may include a discussion of the dyslexic sample.

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