Most children are more enthusiastic about writing with a word processor. Many times their written work is longer. Word processing generates peer collaboration and interaction and gives students a powerful means of publishing for an audience. One consequence of so many children choosing to publish with a word processor is the inevitable problem of access. In an ideal school environment, every student could have access to a computer at any time during the day.
Many schools struggle to achieve a ratio of ten students per computer.
In a research study, probably not. In order for student writing to improve, teachers need to instruct students in writing at the same time they are using a word processor. Strategies should be used to ensure that word processing is used effectively. One suggestion is to use more networked telecommunication with word processing. The study that used it produced better overall writing in addition to better edited documents.