Algunas observaciones sobre la capacidad de revisión de los adolescentes

Resumen

Este artículo, a partir de los resultados de las investigaciones sobre el subproceso de revisión y de los modelos más recientes que explican las operaciones implicadas en él, analiza los protocolos de las interacciones orales de un grupo de tres alumnos adolescentes (13–14 años) trabajando en grupo y formula algunas observaciones referidas al tipo de revisiones que efectúan. En esta situación de producción en grupo se pone de manifiesto: a)que los alumnos realizan numerosas operaciones de revisión que en su mayoría no se reflejan en cambios en el texto; b)que dichas revisiones afectan a todos los niveles de producción desde los superficiales a los globales referidos al contenido y a la función del texto y a la situación discursiva; c)que las revisiones pretextuales son fundamentalmente de dos tipos: las que afectan a los planes elaborados oralmente y la que afecta a los que llamaremos texto intentado, o producciones orales formuladas para ser escritas.     

Word Prediction Programs with Phonetic Spelling Support: Performance Comparisons and Impact on Journal Writing for Students with Writing Difficulties

This investigation examined the effects of currently available word prediction software programs that support phonetic/inventive spelling on the quality of journal writing by six students with severe writing and/or spelling difficulties in grades three through six during a month‐long summer writing program. A changing conditions single‐subject research design was used and replicated across the participants. Using a daily writing prompt, students alternated between Co:Writer, WordQ, and WriteAssist word prediction programs. The results provided evidence for the effectiveness of various word prediction programs over word processing, and demonstrated improvements in spelling accuracy across conditions. Relative gains in the total number of words and composition rate were modest for the majority of the participants and should be interpreted with caution due to several methodological issues. The social validity interviews revealed that all students enjoyed the word prediction programs and found them beneficial. Study limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

ADHD expressive writing difficulties of ADHD children: when good declarative knowledge is not sufficient

A large body of evidence shows that many of the academic difficulties Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) children have may be related to their problems in executive control. However, the particular case of expressive writing has not been deeply explored. The present study examines the typical school exercise of writing a letter. Participants were 33 third, fourth, and fifth graders referred by teachers for the presence of ADHD symptoms plus 33 controls. The task consisted of describing an aspect of their life in the form of a letter. Texts of ADHD children were poorer than those of the controls for structure, vocabulary, grammar, length, and accuracy. Furthermore, the difference persisted even when a guide was used to support the writing task. However, the two groups were not significantly different in a metacognitive test measuring knowledge on critical factors affecting expressive writing. Results show that ADHD children may encounter severe difficulties in expressive writing that are not due to differences in knowledge about how to write. Educational implications are discussed.