The dynamics of narrative writing in primary grade children: Writing process factors predict story quality

In this study of third grade school children, we investigated the association between writing process measures recorded with key stroke logging and the final written product. Moreover, we examined the cognitive predictors of writing process and product measures. Analyses of key strokes showed that while most children spontaneously made local online revisions while writing, few revised previously written text. Children with good reading and spelling abilities made more online revisions than their peers. Two process factors, transcription fluency and online revision activity, contributed to explaining variance in narrative macrostructural quality and story length. As for cognitive predictors, spelling was the only factor that gave a unique contribution to explaining variance in writing process factors. Better spelling was associated with more revisions and faster transcription. The results show that developing writers’ ability to make online revisions in creative writing tasks is related to both the quality of the final written product and to individual literacy skills. More generally, the findings indicate that investigations of the dynamics of the writing process may provide insights into the factors that contribute to creative writing during early stages of literacy

Linguistic : Application of LSA to predict linguistic maturity and language disorder in children

In this chapter we will describe applications of latent semantic analysis to assess semantic linguistic maturity in children and how well the method can predict whether a child has developmental language disorder (DLD), based on orally produced narratives. Assessment of narrative ability in preschool years captures important cognitive, linguistic and socio-pragmatic skills and is an important prognostic tool for later academic success. We discuss the usefulness and potential of computerized methods to quantify semantics in research on typical and disordered language development. More importantly, we also discuss if and how such methods can be applied in clinical or educational contexts for diagnosis of language disorder in different populations, as an objective measure to complement standardized and decontextualized tests and assessment methods