Evaluation of a Computer-Based Revision Prompting Intervention for Undergraduate Writers with Acquired Brain Injury

• Main Author: Ledbetter, Alexander
• Other Authors: Sohlberg, McKay
• Language: en_US
• Published: University of Oregon 2017
• Subjects: Brain injury; Cognition; Computer-based; Intervention; Revision; Writing
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1794/22785

People with acquired brain injury (ABI) present with impairments in working memory and executive functions, and these cognitive deficits contribute to difficulty self-regulating the production of expository writing. Cognitive processes involved in carrying out complex writing tasks include planning, generating text, and reviewing or revising text produced. Intervention targeting the process of revision during the writing process may contribute to improved self-regulation of expository writing for people with ABI, of which college undergraduates are a subset of writers experiencing challenges. This study evaluated a computer-based revision prompting intervention for expository essay writing for undergraduate writers with acquired brain injury using a single-case, non-concurrent multiple-probe design across four participants. Primary outcome measures included number of revisions and quality scores. I used brief interviews to evaluate participants’ writing knowledge at the start of the study, and a post-intervention questionnaire to evaluate participant perceptions of the intervention, and perceived changes in writing ability. Visual inspection of data points plotted for Overall Quality Scores indicated a functional relation between the intervention and increased Overall Quality Scores compared to baseline, observed as a change in level at three distinct points in time across three participants. Visual inspection of data points plotted for number of revisions revealed no increase from baseline to intervention phases. Results suggest that the computer-based revision prompting intervention has potential to improve expository writing in undergraduate writers with ABI, though mechanisms of improvement require clarification in subsequent studies. I discuss results in terms of potential mechanisms of improvement, including cueing of self-monitoring and prior knowledge, and stimulation of task schemas for self-regulation of expository writing.