Electronic Essay Writing with Postsecondary Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - Abstract

Oct 15, 2026

This study examined the efficacy of an electronic essay-writing strategy to improve expository writing skills in 20 young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in a midwestern higher-education program. A pretest–posttest experimental design with random assignment compared mnemonic-driven electronic writing in treatment versus control groups. Students used a computer and a word program to study an electronically presented essay prompt, plan with an electronic outline, and draft and revise responses. Essay responses were assessed via proximal and distal rubrics, showing a significant positive effect on overall essay quality, including ideas/content and word choice.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design

Writing strategy and procedures

Assessment and results

Background and rationale

Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 2018, 53(3), 311 –324 © Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities Electronic Essay Writing with Postsecondary Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Suzanne Woods-Groves University of Iowa Saeed S. Alqahtani Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University Kinga Balint-Langel Amanda Kern University of Minnesota Duluth University of Nebraska Omaha Abstract: This study examined the efﬁcacy of an electronic essay-writing strategy to improve the expository writing skills of 20 young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities enrolled in a program at an institute of higher education in the midwest. A pretest and posttest experimental design with random assignment to treatment or control group was used to investigate the mnemonic-driven electronic writing strategy. The writing strategy supported students’ construction of essay responses using a computer. Students used the strategy and a computer word program to examine an electronically presented essay test question, plan through the construction of an electronic outline, and create and revise an electronic essay response. Pretest and posttest essay responses were evaluated through proximal and distal rubrics. Results revealed a signiﬁcant positive effect for the treatment group when compared to the control group for overall essay quality including use of ideas and content, and word choice. Writing is a complicated process and an integral form of communication. Graham and Perin (2007) asserted that “along with reading comprehension writing skill is a predictor of academic success and a basic requirement for participation in civic life and the global economy” (p. 3) . The National Commission on Writing (2006) report Writing and School Reform asserted that difﬁculties in writing can serve as a barrier in the areas of communication, achievement in school, and success in the workplace. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2011) computer-based writing assessment results for secondary students who were administered the NAEP revealed 74% of eighth graders and 73% of The research reported herein was supported in part by the Ofﬁce of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education, through Grant P407A100030 to The University of Iowa. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the OPE or the U.S. Department of Education. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Suzanne Woods-Groves, Special Education, Rehabilitation, & Counseling, 2084 Halely Center, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849. [E-mail: woodssu@auburn.edu](E-mail: woodssu@auburn.edu) 12th graders fell in the below proﬁcient range (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012) . Students with and without disabilities experience difﬁculty in writing. These difﬁculties if not addressed can impede one’s success in postsecondary education programs. As individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) exit high school they have the option of attending postsecondary educational programs at institutions of higher education (IHEs) . Currently there are approximately 246 college programs for individuals with IDD (Think College, 2016) . The writing process is iterative in nature and includes metacognitive processes of planning, organizing, constructing text, and revising (Hayes, 1996, 2012; Hayes & Flower, 1980) . Difﬁculties in the writing process can occur in planning, organizing, constructing text, and revising (Mason & Graham, 2009; Pennington & Delano, 2012) . It is recommended that evidence-based practices be employed in writing practices (Cook et al., 2015; Odom et al., 2005; What Works Clearinghouse, 2013) . Replications and extensions of instructional practices that reveal positive effects for learners’ writing skills are one aspect Electronic Essay Writing / 311 of assessing effective practices (Graham, Harris, &

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study?

To evaluate whether an electronic essay-writing strategy could improve expository writing skills for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in postsecondary education.

How was the strategy implemented for participants?

A pretest–posttest experimental design with random assignment compared a treatment group using the mnemonic-driven electronic writing strategy against a control group.

What outcomes showed improvement?

Results indicated a significant positive effect for the treatment group on overall essay quality, including ideas/content and word choice, compared with the control group.

Oct 15, 2026

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