Describes results of a questionnaire concerning such questions as where is the first keyboarding/typing class taught, length of this class, what equipment is utilized, and what students in kindergarten through eighth grade are doing with microcomputers. The author then makes suggestions for improving the curriculum for keyboarding in elementary…

Compared the ease and efficiency of the Qwerty and Dvorak keyboards by analyzing five popular lists on high frequency words to determine differences in fingering for the keyboards. Found that more high frequency words and more characters are typed on the Dvorak keyboard home row, and therefore children should be taught to use the Dvorak rather…

Indiana fourth graders received keyboarding instruction 30 minutes per day for 4 weeks with 30 minutes of daily practice thereafter. Comparison with their scores in the fifth grade revealed an increase in speed of nine words per minute. Accuracy did not change significantly. (SK)

A national survey of 753 elementary teachers found that only 13 percent (95) teach keyboarding, there is insufficient time for mastery of touch typing, access to equipment is limited, teachers do not have thorough knowledge of theory related to psychomotor skill development, and no formal evaluation is used. (SK)

Discusses keyboarding strategies for elementary school students with learning disabilities using microcomputers. Describes a study that evaluated the efficacy of instruction in systematic scanning against a baseline of no instruction and students' current hunt-and-peck strategy. Repeated measures of typing rates showed no advantages of the…

Analysis of over 750 timed writings of postsecondary keyboarding students found speeds ranging from 39-49 gross words per minute. They left uncorrected one-half to three-quarters of an error per minute. Accuracy and speed standards representing realistic conditions using electronic equipment should now be developed. (SK)

One group of secondary keyboarding students was taught on typewriters and switched to microcomputers after six weeks, the other used microcomputers first, then typewriters. Using computers, students showed faster completion times and fewer typographical errors. Transfer from computers to typewriters slowed times and increased errors. Overall,…

This study compared two software programs for teaching keyboarding to students in grades four, five, and six and compared speed achievement when students were grouped by sex. One program was an educational game. The other used traditional psychological motor skill development theory as applied to typewriting instruction. Results are reported and…

Error analysis of 260 timed writings by secondary and postsecondary beginning and advanced students found that, regardless of the level of instruction or the type of equipment (electronic typewriter or microcomputer), an inordinate number of errors were associated with home key rows. (JOW)

This study examines user insights on the issues of keyboarding and computer knowledge. It presents reactions of first-time microcomputer users and reveals insights that may be helpful to educators presenting courses to this population. Recommendations are presented and fall into three categories: lab schedule, microcomputer as typewriter, and…

This study examined the effects of five variables--student grouping at the computer, keyboarding status, academic discipline, student gender, and gender of partner--on student social behavior, both verbal and affective, in microcomputer classrooms in a public business high school. The effect of these variables on teacher behavior was also…

Usable responses received from 129 students in an introductory microcomputer course showed that the following were not related to course success: prior keyboarding/typewriting experience, age, or use of computer in other classes. Few significant differences appeared between those required and not required to take the course. Respondents thought…

A study concluded that there were no significant differences in posttest speed achievement of students in grades 3 through 6 when pretest typewriting speed score was used as a covariate. Fifteen or fewer hours of instruction allows development of typewriting speed at the lowest level of skill acquisition. (JOW)

The computer has been used successfully in the education of persons with handicaps. Five subjects with developmental disabilities were selected for a six-month study and trained to use the microcomputer in performing basic data entry and word processing tasks. Four of the five subjects were placed in computer-related occupations following the…

Forty developmentally delayed and 40 non-delayed kindergarten children completed an alphabet matching task and a spelling task using 2 different computer input devices: a traditional computer keyboard and a touch-sensitive computer screen. The touch-sensitive screen generally improved the performance of both groups. (Author/JDD)