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The effects of browse time on the Internet on students’ essay scores

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Abstract

This study examined how 30 minutes of search time on the Web affected students’ essay scores in response to a writing prompt. Expository essays were obtained from 49 fourth- and fifthgrade students enrolled in an elementary school in Virginia, in the United States. Students were placed by random assignment into three groups with the same writing prompt for all three groups. Data analyses using ANOVA indicate that there was statistical significance in two components of writing. The group that received instruction on using the Internet to conduct research in the prewriting phase outperformed the control group in two areas: the total essay score (p=.053) and usage/mechanics (p=.028). The study also produced effect sizes ranging from small to large when the Internet users were compared to the control group. Implications for the future of Internet use in the school system are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. West Chester University, 210C Recitation Hall, West Chester, PA, 19383, USA

    Kim Doan

  2. University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Aaron Bloomfield

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  1. Kim Doan
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  2. Aaron Bloomfield
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Correspondence to Kim Doan.

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Doan, K., Bloomfield, A. The effects of browse time on the Internet on students’ essay scores. TECHTRENDS TECH TRENDS 58, 63–72 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-014-0805-y

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