Measuring Student Responses to Writing Prompts:

Does Technology Make a Difference?

Action Research Report





Mary Kay Cummings
University of Colorado Denver
Fall 2012
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Introduction and Problem Statement
As a high school Spanish teacher, my goal is to intellectually challenge students, promote
student curiosity about cultures, and inspire communication. To reach my goal, I must
determine the tools needed for success. One of those tools is writing. In Spanish,
writing plays a major role in developing student communication skills. Unfortunately,
writing assignments take large amounts of teacher time to read, review and evaluate.
This year, with one hundred and sixty-three students enrolled in my five Spanish classes,
paper and pencil writing assignments can be time consuming to read and even more time
consuming to provide written feedback.
In the past, I experienced many benefits to assigning homework electronically.
Receiving assignments electronically simplified my life as it reduced the number of
papers I collected. Additionally, when grading hand-written assignments, I often found
myself crossing out my own comments or spelling mistakes. Therefore, the ability to
provide feedback electronically saved me time and frustration.
While I recognized many benefits of collecting assignments electronically for myself, I
still did not understand how electronic assignments affected students. Do students have
an easier time completing homework electronically or does typing make writing more
time consuming? Does the simple fact of not needing to find paper make this task easier
for students? Does access to the Internet on mobile phones facilitate student ability to
complete homework or will the need for technology increase barriers? Is there any
quality intrinsic to technology use that increases student desire to write? While the
benefits to teachers seemed clear, I needed to clarify how technology affected students.
Purpose and Intended Audience
By way of this research project, I sought to determine how one technology tool, edmodo,
affected how students completed written homework assignments. I aimed to measure
differences, if any, between homework submitted electronically and homework submitted
through traditional paper and pencil methods.
The primary audience for this report included my professor and peers in my Research in
Informational Technology course at the University of Colorado Denver. The
administrative team of my high school as well as my fellow world language teachers also
expressed interest in reading the results of this research action project.
Research Questions
My research examined how the use of edmodo affected written homework assignments in
my Spanish 3 classes at Eisenhower High School. The research centered on the
following questions:

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How does the use of edmodo affect homework completion rates? In other words,
do students complete written homework assignments via edmodo with more
frequency, less frequency or with the same frequency as paper and pencil
homework?
How does use of edmodo affect the length of completed written assignments? Do
students write more, the same or fewer words when using edmodo?
How does use of edmodo affect the quality of completed written assignments?
Context of the Study
Eisenhower High School is a public high school located in the western United States.
Eisenhower holds 1,700 students. Eighty-nine percent of Eisenhower graduates attend
college. In 2010, forty-three percent of students completed an Advanced Placement test
before graduating.
At the time of this project, I was teaching five Spanish classes with a total of one hundred
and sixty-three students. I chose to evaluate the written homework assignments of my
Spanish 3 students because they had the most experience with writing. I believed these
students had an overall greater level of comfort with writing and as a result, these
students would be more likely to complete written homework assignments. My two
Spanish 3 classes consisted of thirty-three and thirty-four students respectively. In these
two classes, there were thirty-two males and thirty-three females. There were eight
freshmen, twenty-six sophomores, twenty-three juniors and eight seniors. The freshmen
and sophomores were enrolled in Spanish 3 because they successfully passed at least one
year of Spanish in middle school.
Eisenhower prides itself on academic excellence. Although world language courses are
classified as an elective, most students take two to three years of a world language to
fulfill college requirements. Due to the fact that more selective colleges and universities
require students to take a minimum three years of a world language, students enrolled in
Spanish 3 are more likely to be college bound.
At the beginning of the school year, I asked all students to complete a survey. In the
survey, all students indicated that they have access to the Internet either on a home
computer or mobile phone. All students also had access to the Eisenhower computer lab
throughout the school day. I also confirmed that all students enrolled in my Spanish 3
classes had parent permission to use the Internet.
I chose to assign written homework through edmodo because edmodo is a free and secure
learning network for my students and me. Edmodo is accessible online and through any
mobile device with Internet capabilities. Students can access their account from any
mobile device or computer, and set up notifications within edmodo to receive
alerts/reminders via text or e-mail. I spoke to all parents who attended Back to School
Night about edmodo. I also sent students home with a letter to parents explaining our use
of edmodo in Spanish class. (Stringer, 2007, p. 42-50)

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Literature Review
I conducted a literature review because it is necessary for world language instructors like
myself to move beyond general understandings of the benefits of using technology in the
classroom. World language instructors must identify specific uses of technology and the
methods that result in student achievement. This literature review therefore identifies the
current research related to student achievement in web-based vs. traditional writing
assignments in secondary world language classrooms.
Literature Review Questions
The literature review will examine the following questions:
Historically, what do we know about the use of computer based technology in
second language learning?
What are student attitudes and perceptions towards web-based writing in a second
language?
What does research tell us about student achievement in web-based vs. traditional
writing in second language classrooms?
Literature Search Procedures
I began my literature research on Google Scholar. I started my search by entering the
terms of my research questions. I began with online homework vs. traditional
homework which yielded several articles related to online systems that grade homework
and provide instant feedback to students in math and science courses. To maintain my
research focus on writing, I changed my search terms from online to web-based and I
included the terms writing and language learning. Among several terms searched, I
included searches for effective teaching methods writing, effective methods to
improve writing, and effects of web-based writing on achievement.
I conducted the same research using the Auraria Library where I was able to utilize the
Education Resources Information Center to narrow my search to peer reviewed articles
only. I recorded the titles of journals as well as the titles of any articles that related to my
research project. I then accessed the Auraria Skyline search to read and print copies of
the most relevant articles. After narrowing my search to 15 articles, I re-read the titles,
abstracts and conclusions of each to determine the most fitting articles. Additionally, I
created a concept map
1
to see how each article relates to my research topic and how each
article relates to one another.
Finally, I read each article thoroughly and performed a second, broader search on
edmodo as well as on any web-based writing research (not just second language
writing). My last search yielded one additional article related to writing abilities in two
middle school advanced language arts programs.

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A copy of the concept map is attached at Appendix A.
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Literature Review Findings
My literature review largely broadened my understanding of student and teacher
perspectives with respect to technology use and writing in second language classrooms.
Furthermore, my research revealed mixed results when measuring student performance in
writing when using web-based tools.
History
In order to think critically about my research, I needed to understand past trends and
issues as they related to web-based writing. Authors Graham, Lee, Liu & Moore
provided an important snapshot of researched-based and non-researched based articles
written between 1990 and 2000 (Graham, Lee, Liu, & Moore, 2002). Each of the
articles explored by Graham et al. (2002) related to the use of computer technology in
second language learning. Between 1990 and 2000 web-based writing took place in the
form of computer-mediated communication (CMC), email messages and synchronous
chat. According to Graham et al. (2002), researchers found CMCs, email and
synchronous chat to be beneficial to second language learners. The observed benefits
included more equal and increased student participation, positive attitudes,
decreased teacher control, and increased ability for students to evaluate their own
writing based on the writing of their peers (Graham, et al., 2002, p. 256).
To complete web-based assignments, my students utilized edmodo, a web-based program
that works very similarly to a CMC. As I measured differences in the quality, length and
completion rates of student work between traditional writing assignments and web-based
assignments via edmodo, I was hopeful to find the same positive outcomes that the
Graham et al. (2002) literature reported.
Student perceptions
As part of my research action study, I asked students to record the number of words they
used in each writing sample. The purpose of the word count was to gain a sense of
student comfort with writing and student perceptions of their own writing. The word
count served as one indicator of students overall attitudes towards traditional and web-
based writing. Based on my review of several articles, researchers appeared to agree that
students have positive attitudes of web-based writing.
In a study measuring student perceptions, Nuria Sagarra and Gabriela Zapata evaluated
attitudes of university level Spanish language learners towards use of an online workbook
(2008). While the online workbook focused more on vocabulary and grammar than on
writing skills, students indicated a positive attitude towards the electronic workbook.
Specifically, students reacted positively towards being able to pace themselves and
towards the new format the electronic workbook presented. The fact that students in the
Sagarra and Zapata study reported positive attitudes towards the new format of the online
homework suggested that my students might also report positive attitudes towards the
completion of web-based homework.
In a second study related to student perceptions, researchers C. Yang and Y.-S. Chang
reported that students held positive attitudes towards peer interactions (2012).
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Additionally, students academic achievements increased after blogging in a second
language (2012).
While several studies indicated positive attitudes that students maintained towards web-
based writing, researcher Yuh-show Cheng, examined how those positive attitudes may
differ between genders. In Chengs study, female students in a second language class
experienced significantly higher levels of [second language] writing anxiety than male
students (2002, p. 647). As a result Cheng argued that fostering students positive and
realistic perception of their writing competence is as important as developing students
writing skills (2002, p. 647). As a result of Chengs research, I added a question to my
student survey about writing perceptions and student comfort levels with writing.
Student achievement
A majority of my research yielded articles related to student perceptions of web-based
writing; however, little research addressed whether students positive attitudes led to a
measurable increase in student achievement. I therefore explored research that focused
on whether web-based writing methods result in measurable, increased student
achievement. The research revealed mixed results.
In one English learning college course, the Reima Al-Jarf measured pre-writing skills of a
control group (the fall semester students) and the pre-writing skills of an experimental
group (the spring semester students). After the pre-writing assessment, the control group
completed traditional in-class writing while the experimental group completed a
combination of Web-based writing instruction and traditional in-class writing
throughout the semester (Al-Jarf, 2004, p. 54). The experimental group utilized an
electronic discussion board to communicate about the textbook they were reading, to ask
questions and to initiate discussion. This group also had other writing resources made
available to them and were encouraged to word process all written work (Al-Jarf, 2004).
Final essays for both groups were graded blindly (with a number in lieu of a name to
identify students) and all essays were graded twice. The experimental group, according
to Al-Jarf, made higher gains in writing achievement than the experimental group as a
result of Web-based instruction (2004, p. 54).
A second article related to web-based writing and second language learning also found
positive results. In Kathleen Buenos third year university level Spanish class, Bueno
implemented the use of electronic chats to allow for informal exchanges outside of the
classroom. According to Bueno, this method allowed one student to practice putting
ideas together while engaging in meaningful interactions. The author concluded that
when her learners exchanged written messages, this appears to enable them to gain
practice in generating ideas and judging their understanding of the text (Bueno, 2003, p.
107).
Other studies did not support the idea that web-based writing leads to increased student
achievement. Portland State Universitys Robert Sanders described his implementation
of a first year, university level Spanish program. At the end of the two-year period the
online Spanish language program took to develop, Sanders found that students writing
proficiency in Spanish decreased.
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Like Robert Sanders, researchers Huey-Ling Fan and Michael Orey were unable to draw
a direct correlation between web-based writing and increased student achievement. Fan
and Orey evaluated writing in two middle school language arts programs. In this study, a
random selection of middle school students completed a written essay pre-test.
Following the pre-test, students worked over the course of six weeks for approximately
45 minutes each school day to plan, develop and revise a multimedia project. After
completion of the final project, the students completed a written essay post-test. This
process was repeated during the spring semester with a second group of students. While
Fan and Orey found an improvement in writing with the first group of students, they also
found a decrease in writing performance in the second group of students (Fan & Orey,
2001).
Quality of Literature
For purposes of my literature review, I selected reports from peer-reviewed journals.
While the sources seemed to be reliable, the studies that were related to web-based
writing and the measurement of student achievement either ignored any discussion of
factors that could yield inaccurate results, or, elaborated on multiple reasons why the
results may have been inaccurate.
In the Al-Jarf study that discussed large gains in writing performance for English
language learners, the author did not discuss any reasons why the results could be
inaccurate.
In the Bueno study involving the observation of two Spanish language students, the
assessment of student achievement was based on the instructors observations with no
supplemental numerical data based on test scores, attendance or homework completion.
Gap in Literature
The majority of studies focused on university level students. I was unable to locate any
research on high school second language learners and wonder how differences in
academic experience and maturity could affect student perspectives, achievement gains
and/or losses.
I found four research studies related to the measurement of student achievement in
writing. As indicated in my evaluation of the quality of that literature, the studies
themselves yielded mixed and sometimes inconclusive evidence.
Much of the literature found related to perceptions. Students and teachers alike reported
positive attitudes towards the use of technology. While evaluating perceptions is an
important step towards understanding the role of technology in the classroom, there is a
large gap in literature related to the measurement of achievement in students who utilize
web-based tools to write. I addressed this gap in my action research by taking specific
steps to measure the quality of student writing.

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Methods
By comparing the quality of traditional writing to web-based writing, I sought to better
understand how student achievement was affected by the use of edmodo. The following
methods describe the process by which I collected and analyzed the data.
Site Selection and Sampling
I selected two Spanish 3 classes for this study. The classes were comprised of sixty-five
students ranging from ninth grade to twelfth grade. During the first week, students
registered themselves on edmodo and completed a short written response, in Spanish, to
"What is your favorite class and why?" During week two, I assigned a written prompt to
be completed on paper, either typed or hand-written. Each week, the writing assignment
alternated from paper and pencil format to electronic format through edmodo. All
assignments were assigned on a Thursday and due on the following Monday. All
assignments required students to write a minimum of five sentences.
Data Collection Methods
The table below describes the data collection instruments I utilized.
Research Question Data Source
How does use of Edmodo
affect homework completion
rates?
Collect and record number of completed assignments
Maintain journal of anecdotal evidence
Student survey
How does use of Edmodo
affect the length of completed
written assignments?
Word counts and student survey

How does use of Edmodo
affect the quality of completed
written assignments?
Grade every assignment using the same rubric
2
.
Student survey
Maintain journal of anecdotal evidence
Table A- Data Collection

Each week, I collected a written homework assignment. I first assigned and collected a
paper and pencil assignment, then an edmodo assignment, then a second paper and pencil
assignment followed by a second edmodo assignment. All assignments required students
to write a minimum of five sentences and to focus on one or both past tenses in Spanish.
A summary of the topics are noted below:
Week 1: Describe an event (or multiple events) that you experienced with your
best friend (use the preterit and imperfect tenses).
Week 2: When you were little, what activities did you like to do? (use the
imperfect tense)

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A copy of the rubric is attached as Appendix B.
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Week 3: Use the preterit tense to describe any five events in the past (focus on
completed actions).
Week 4: Write your own ending to the story we read in class (use the preterit and
imperfect tenses).
I counted the number of assignments turned-in by the assigned due date, regardless of
whether the assignment was fully completed or partially completed.
To keep track of anecdotal comments from parents and students, I maintained a teachers
journal. The purpose of the journal was to account for students who did not turn in
assignments on time due technology or other problems.
When students turned in paper and pencil assignments, I asked them to count and record
by hand the number of words they wrote at the bottom of their assignment. Similarly, I
asked students to count and type the number of words they wrote at the end of each
electronically submitted assignment. Students were advised and consistently reminded
that the word count did not affect their grade.
To assess the quality of written assignments, I applied the same grading rubric to all
assignments. The rubric assessed only three areas (grammar, fluency and content) to
ensure my ability to evaluate numerous written assignments in a condensed schedule.
Lastly, I created and administered a confidential online survey to students
3
. As part of
the survey, I asked students about their experiences with electronic assignments versus
paper and pencil assignments. As part of the survey, I asked students to indicate whether
or not they used an online translator to assist their writing. I asked students to indicate
their comfort level with typing and to indicate how easily they were able to access the
necessary technology to complete the electronic assignments.
Data Analysis Procedures
Each week, I counted the total number of completed assignments for each class.
Whether the assignment was partially completed or fully completed, any turned-in
assignment counted as being turned-in. At the end of the data collection period, I totaled
the number of completed electronic assignments and compared that to the total number of
completed hand-written assignments.
I maintained a spreadsheet to evaluate the total number of words that students used in
their written assignments. Each week, I recorded each students total number of words
used. At the end of the data collection period, I averaged each students word count in
electronic assignments and each students word count in paper and pencil assignments.
Lastly, I averaged the number of words used by students in electronic assignments and
compared that to the average number of words used by students in paper and pencil
assignments.

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A copy of the survey is attached as Appendix C.

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For each written assignment, I used the same grading rubric. Each week, I recorded
student grades on a spreadsheet. At the end of the data collection period, I averaged
each students grade on electronic assignments and each students grade on hand-written
assignments. Next, I determined the overall average grade given in electronic
assignments and the overall average grade given for paper and pencil assignments.
I also maintained a teachers journal and administered a confidential online student
survey. The purpose of the journal and confidential online survey was to provide me
with qualitative information that would help me accurately interpret the quantitative data
I collected.
Schedule
Week 1 September 16 - 22 Student sign-up on edmodo
Week 2 September 23 - 29 Paper and pencil assignment 1
Week 3 September 30 October 6 Edmodo assignment 1
Week 4 October 7 13 Paper and pencil assignment 2
Week 5 October 14 20 Edmodo assignment 2
Week 6 October 21 27 Paper and pencil assignment 3
Week 7 October 28 November 3 Edmodo assignment 3 and student
survey
Week 8 November 4 10 Data analysis
Week 9 November 11 17 Revisions
Week 10 November 18 24 Revisions
Week 11 November 25 December 1 Final draft
Checks for Rigor
To ensure my research does not merely reflect [my] particular perspectives, biases, or
worldview, I took several steps throughout the data collection process. (Stringer,
2007, p.57)
I collected data from four different written assignments. This was the maximum number
of assignments that I could collect within the timeline I received to complete my research
project. By collecting the maximum number of written assignments, I was able to gain as
big a picture of student responses as possible.
I took measures to grade student work consistently. First, I utilized the same rubric to
evaluate the quality of each written assignment. Second, I graded written work in one
sitting each week. As a general practice, I graded writing assignments at the same time
so I did not risk grading work differently simply because I felt differently at a later time.
Students were responsible for providing their own word count at the end of each
assignment. To ensure the accuracy of student word counts, I randomly selected and
counted the number of words in five assignments each week. If student counts were
inaccurate, I planned to return written assignments to students to re-count. During the
process of counting the number of words in student assignments; however, I did not find
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any inaccuracies in student reporting. As a result, I did not need to return written
assignments to students to re-count.
Lastly, I collected both quantitative and qualitative data. The purpose of collecting
quantitative data was to objectively look at numbers the data collection provides. I also
included qualitative data through my teachers journal and the student surveys so I could
provide as accurate a picture as possible when analyzing the objective data.
Findings
The findings are organized below as they relate to each research question:
Homework Completion Rates
As noted in Chart 1 below, the number of assignments turned in by students decreased
each week. Whether the assignment format was paper and pencil or electronic, the
number of completed assignments decreased from week to week.


Chart 1 Number of Completed Assignments by Week

The value of each written assignment was low in comparison to other graded assignments
(tests, quizzes, projects and other homework). The students may have been less likely to
turn in homework if they felt the value of the completed work would not affect their
grade. It is also possible the students may not be accustomed to completing multiple
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written assignments week after week. Completion rates may have also dropped as
students grapple with writing in Spanish.
When comparing the total number of completed assignments by format, the data indicates
students completed more paper and pencil assignments than electronic assignments. As
indicated in Chart 2, students completed 103 paper and pencil assignments versus 94
electronic assignments.


Chart 2 Total Number of Completed Assignments

The difference in completed assignments by format is consistent with the student survey
results. In the student survey, 11 out of 15 students indicated that they preferred to
complete assignments on paper for the ease, convenience and/or visibility of the method.
One student wrote There isn't anything wrong with edmodo, I just prefer to write things
by hand on paper so that you have a hard copy, and you can pretty much do it anywhere.
Another student indicated a number of reasons why he or she preferred to write
assignments, stating, Writing on paper, more convenient. No info to remember like
passwords. Easier to remember if its written.
4

Word Counts
The number of words a student writes indicates his or her overall comfort level with
writing in Spanish. The data reveals students wrote more words using paper and pencil
than when they wrote assignments electronically. Chart 3 below shows the average
number of words written from week to week in both types of assignments.


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The online survey produced a 24.5% response rate. This percentage is based on a
total of 61 students in attendance during the four-day period in which the survey was
available.
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Chart 3 Average Number of Words Written

When comparing the overall word counts of paper and pencil assignments to electronic
assignments, students wrote an average of 14.8 more words using the paper and pencil
method. I took care to ensure each assignment was not significantly more difficult than
the next. While the week 1 and week 3 assignments were open-ended in nature, the
electronic assignments during weeks 2 and 4 were more specific. The specificity
required in the electronic assignments may have limited student ability to write at length
and may account for the decrease in average word counts. Unfortunately, it is not clear
how much the specificity of assignment topics affected word counts, if at all.
Quality of Writing
I wanted to know how the use of paper and pencil versus electronic writing methods
affected the quality of student writing. The data in Chart 4 below indicates that the
quality of student writing improved over the course of four weeks, regardless of the
method used.

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Chart 4 Quality of Assignments by Week

When comparing the overall quality of paper and pencil assignments to electronic
assignments, the electronic assignments resulted in higher grades. Chart 5 demonstrates
the comparison of overall quality of writing.

Chart 5 Quality of Assignments by Format
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By virtue of the fact that the electronic assignments fell during weeks 2 and 4, the
students had one additional week of practice and feedback over the previous pencil and
paper assignment. For that reason alone, it is difficult to draw a direct connection
between electronic assignments and improved quality of work.
The students, when discussing the quality of their work, provided mixed opinions. One
student states I prefered writing the sentences on paper becasue it is easier or me to
correctly conjugate, and compose sentences when I am writing on paper rather than
staring at a computer screen. I found this statement to be particularly poignant given the
spelling mistakes in this students response via an online survey. One student who
indicated a preference for electronic assignments said Edmodo, I am very strong with
computer skills and I find that my handwriting is normally hard to understand. It's easier
this way!

Chart 6 Completion Rates vs. Grades

While the overall quality of student writing increased over the course of four weeks, the
number of assignments that students completed decreased (See Chart 6 above). My
teacher journal indicates an average of five students per week approached me to inform
me that they were unable to access edmodo, or, to tell me that they had lost their
password. I found student complaints regarding the accessibility of edmodo to be
credible. I experienced similar problems of the edmodo website being inaccessible on
two separate occasions. If I was unable to provide students with missing passwords
during class, students were asked to meet with me after class or during a mutual off-hour.
Many students met with me to obtain missing passwords, but I do not know how many
more students simply did not complete an assignment given the password obstacle.

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I examined data by student and found that three students have not completed any written
assignment (paper and pencil or electronic) and five students have only completed one
assignment. Of the five students, four completed one written or electronic assignment
during week 1 or week 2 and did not turn in any subsequent assignments.
As mentioned above, it is also possible the students may not be accustomed to
completing multiple written assignments week after week. Completion rates may have
also dropped as students grapple with writing in Spanish.
Comparison of the Research to the Literature Review
The literature review and my research revealed similarities and differences in themes and
results.
A common theme between my research and the literature review related to student
perceptions towards web-based writing. In the literature, a majority of students indicated
positive attitudes towards web-based writing (Graham, et al., 2002; Sagarra & Zapata,
2008; C. Yang & Y.-S. Chang, 2012). Through the course of my action research project,
I was also able to measure student perceptions. Based on my student survey, however; a
majority of students (11 out of 15 responses to the survey) reacted negatively towards the
use of edmodo to submit written assignments.
A second common theme between my research and the literature review related to
student achievement. In the literature, different studies concluded varying results with
respect to web-based writing and increased achievement (Al-Jarf, 2004; Bueno, 2003;
Sanders, 2005; Fan & Orey, 2001). My research is similarly inconclusive. The data from
my research indicates electronic assignments received an average grade of 12.94 out of
15 while paper and pencil assignments earned an average grade of 11.59 out of 15.
Despite the higher grade earned by electronic assignments, the difference is not great
enough to draw a direct correlation between electronic assignments and increased quality
of writing.
None of the research examined in the literature review evaluated word counts. I believe
the evaluation of word counts reveals an important factor: student comfort levels with
writing. As my research indicates, students indicated higher levels of comfort with paper
and pencil assignments. To support that assertion, data indicates that students utilized
more words in paper and pencil assignments than in electronic assignments. It would be
valuable information to educators to better understand how long it takes for students to
gain the same comfort levels in electronic assignments as they do with paper and pencil
assignments.
Limitations
I encountered limitations throughout the course of my research. The first limitation to
my research was the amount of time I collected data. As mentioned previously, this
action research project was completed within the context of a seventeen-week masters
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degree course. Ideally, I would have continued to collect data for several months to a
year. This would have allowed my students the necessary adjustment time to learning
edmodo, a new technology.
A second limitation related to the alternating schedule of written assignments. Edmodo
was a new technology to most students in my Spanish 3 classrooms. Alternating between
paper and pencil assignments and electronic assignments made it easy for students to
forget passwords and feel less secure writing in the unfamiliar environment. Not only
did students write fewer words in electronic assignments (one indicator of student
comfort), but also, students continually submitted assignments incorrectly. When
students were asked to respond to the group, many still sent me private messages by
mistake.
Despite the limitations, my research has proved extremely valuable. Above all, I know
that student writing improved over the course of four weeks, regardless of the method. I
learned that new learning technologies take time for students and require continued
evaluation of data. While a technology may prove efficient to the teacher, it may take
several months for students to truly grow accustomed to new methods. Moreover, had I
not evaluated the data from this project, I would have erroneously assumed students
complete homework more often via electronic methods than by traditional paper and
pencil methods.
Implications for Practice
Based on my findings, I recommend continued use of edmodo. Over the course of six
weeks, as student assignments alternated between paper and pencil and edmodo, the
quality of student writing increased. When comparing the two methods, the quality of
student writing via edmodo resulted in only slightly higher grades. Given the limited
duration of this research and given the fact that student writing never decreased as a
result of one method or another, I recommend the continued use of edmodo to better
evaluate whether or not student writing continues to increase.
Additional research should monitor whether the number of words that students write
while using edmodo increases and catches-up with the number of words written via
paper and pencil methods. In other words, does the opportunity to submit six
assignments via edmodo (as opposed to two assignments) result in any differences in the
number of words students write?
Students both expressed and demonstrated a higher level of comfort writing via paper and
pencil methods. For that reason, I would proceed with caution. Given the fact that
quality of student writing increased throughout the six week time period, I believe
students need the opportunity to utilize edmodo on a more consistent basis.
Conclusion
The purpose of my action research was to measure and compare student writing when
using edmodo versus paper and pencil. Prior to completing the action research, I
predicted that the ability to complete assignments with a mobile phone would increase
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the students likelihood of completing assignments electronically. I also predicted that
the novelty of submitting homework through a mobile phone or other electronic device
would result in higher numbers of electronically completed assignments. As a result of
my research, I discovered not only did more students turn in assignments by paper and
pencil, but also, students struggled with the inconveniences technology sometimes
presents, namely, forgetting passwords.
I believe students communicate more often through social media and text messages than
they do by hand writing messages. For that reason, I predicted students ease with typing
would translate to a higher number of words typed when completing written assignments
electronically. As my research indicates, students wrote significantly more words by
hand than by typing.
My last research question related to the quality of student work. I predicted the quality
of student work would naturally improve over time with feedback and practice.
Therefore, I predicted that the method by which students completed their work would not
significantly impact the quality of their work. I found this final prediction to be true with
my action research. The most important factor determining the quality of student work
was time. While the quality of student work did not change dramatically between
methods, the quality of student work significantly improved over the course of the four
weeks.
Throughout this project, my primary goal was to identify factor(s) that improve student
writing. Truthfully, I hoped to discover that edmodo would prove to be the Rosetta Stone
of high quality student writing. What I discovered; however, is that student writing
improved over time, regardless of the method used. While my research related to use of
edmodo and the quality of student writing joins the ranks of Sanders, Fan & Orey in
discovering inconclusive results, I uncovered a positive outcome. Despite the obstacles a
new technology presented my students, use of edmodo did not result in a decrease in the
quality of their writing. I believe the introduction of any new technology requires not
only additional time, but also, continued measurement of results to ensure the technology
being utilized is remains as or more beneficial than traditional methods.






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Bueno, K. (2uuS). Saiah anu Ambei: A Tale of Two Thiiu-Yeai Spanish Stuuents.
!"#$%&'()*'&+*&$(,''*-., S6 (1), 97-11S.

Cheng, Y. (2uu6). Factois Associateu with Foieign Language Wiiting Anxiety.
!"#$%&'()*'&+*&$(,''*-., SS (6), 647-6S6.

Fan, B. L., & 0iey, N. (2uu1). Nultimeuia in the Classioom: Its Effect on Stuuent Wiiting
Ability. /"+#'*-("0(1$.$*#23("'(4$23'"-"&5(%'(67+2*8%"', SS (S).

Koshy, v. (2u1u). ,28%"'(#$.$*#23(0"#(%9:#";%'&($7+2*8%"'*-(:#*28%2$((2
nu
eu.). Lonuon:
SAuE Publications.

Naeua, }. (2uu6). 43$()*<.("0(=%9:-%2%85> Cambiiuge: Nassachusetts Institute of
Technology.

uiaham, L., Lee, S., Liu, N. & Nooie, Z. (2uu2). A Look at the Reseaich on Computei-
Baseu Technology 0se in Seconu Language Leaining: A Review of the
Liteiatuie fiom 199u-2uuu. /"+#'*-("0(1$.$*#23("'(4$23'"-"&5(%'(67+2*8%"',
S4 (S), 2Su.

uiaham, S., & Peiin, B. (2uu7). Wiiting next: Effective stiategies to impiove wiiting
of auolescents in miuule anu high schools -A iepoit to Cainegie Coipoiation
of NewYoik.Washington,BC:Alliance foi Excellent Euucation.

Sagaiia, N., & Zapata, u. C. (2uu8). Blenuing Classioom Instiuction with 0nline
Bomewoik: A Stuuy of Stuuent Peiceptions of Computei-Suppoiteu
Bomewoik. /"+#'*-("0(1$.$*#23("'(4$23'"-"&5(%'(67+2*8%"', 41 (S), SS1-SS9.

Sanueis, R.F. (2uuS). Reuesigning Intiouuctoiy Spanish: Incieaseu Eniollment,
0nline Nanagement, Cost Reuuction, anu Effects on Stuuent Leaining.
!"#$%&'()*'&+*&$(,''*-., S8 (4), S2S-SS2.

Stiingei, E. T. (2uu7). Action Reseaich (Siu Euition eu.). Thousanu 0aks, CA: Sage
Publications, Inc.

Yang, C., & Chang, Y. -S. (2u12). Assessing the Effects of Inteiactive Blogging on
Stuuent Attituues Towaius Peei Inteiaction, Leaining Notivation, anu
Acauemic Achievements. /"+#'*-("0(?"9:+8$#(,..%.8$7()$*#'%'&, 28 (2), 126-
1SS.
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