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Revisions in written composition: Introducing speech-to-text to children with reading and writing difficulties
University of Gothenburg, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-3324-7328
2023 (English)In: Frontiers in Education, E-ISSN 2504-284X, Vol. 8, article id 1133930Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Sustainable development
SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Abstract [en]

The ability to perform revisions targeting the content of the text is important for text quality improvement, and it is hypothesized that lower-level transcription processes need to be automatized in order to free up capacity for higher- level processes such as revision. However, for people with reading and writing difficulties due to underlying difficulties with decoding and spelling, the transcription process is rarely automatized because of their troubles with spelling. One possible way to circumvent spelling difficulties, and possibly gaining capacity for higher level processes such as revision, is to write using speech-to-text (STT). This study investigates the revisions performed when children with reading and writing difficulties (n = 16), and a reference group without such difficulties (n = 12), compose text using STT and using a keyboard. More specifically, the study investigates whether, and if so how, revisions at various levels, errors left in the final text product, and text quality differ between conditions and between groups. The compositions were logged using keystroke logging (keyboard) and audio- and screen-recording (STT). The level of revisions were manually coded. The results showed that children with reading and writing difficulties gain more from composing with STT compared to keyboard than the reference group. They leave fewer errors in their final text product when composing by means of STT, even though they need to engage more in the correction of surface errors because of the large number of STT errors. Despite the numerous STT errors, neither the proportion of meaning-related revisions nor text quality decreased in composing with STT (for either of the groups). Taken together, the results suggest, albeit not emphatically, that STT may be appropriate as a facilitatory tool for children with reading and writing difficulties. However, more research is needed to investigate instruction that addresses strategies for STT transcription and highlights the shortcomings of the tool in the target language, and also focuses specifically on higher-level aspects of composition such as planning or revising, in order to gain further knowledge about the feasibility of using STT as a means of composition for children who struggle with writing, and its possible effects over time. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Frontiers Media S.A., 2023. Vol. 8, article id 1133930
Keywords [en]
reading and writing difficulties, writing process, speech-to-text, children, keystroke logging, revisions, text quality, assistive technology
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Research subject
Humanities, Swedish
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-124491DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1133930ISI: 000963670700001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85151946002OAI: oai:DiVA.org:lnu-124491DiVA, id: diva2:1796389
Available from: 2023-09-12 Created: 2023-09-12 Last updated: 2023-09-12Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Tala fram texten: När barn med läs- och skrivsvårigheter skriver med tal-till-text
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Tala fram texten: När barn med läs- och skrivsvårigheter skriver med tal-till-text
2023 (Swedish)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Effective writing is a crucial skill that requires not only the mastery of various sub-processes but also deliberate orchestration of those sub-processes within the constraints of limited working- memory capacity. In practice, some of those sub-processes, such as transcription (spelling and handwriting), need to be automatised to free up capacity for other processes. Unfortunately, children who struggle with spelling rarely manage to fully automatise transcription. This often has a negative impact both on their writing process and on the final text. One solution to this problem could be to let them use speech-to-text (STT), because this would allow them to avoid spelling by using their voice to create text.This thesis consists of four articles where I investigate whether, and if so how, composing by means of STT can facilitate writing for children (aged 10–13) with reading and writing difficul- ties. I analyse both the composition processes and the final texts. I make comparisons both with text production by means of a keyboard and with a reference group of children without difficul- ties. In addition, I explore whether and how successful use of STT correlates with individual linguistic and cognitive skills. Overall, my results suggest that STT can indeed facilitate some aspects of writing for children with reading and writing difficulties, though not emphatically. In my studies, the use of STT does not yield any improvements at group level in processes such as meaning-related revisions or in assessed text quality. However, one important caveat is that the participants received only a very short introduction to STT. In general, the ability to use a new tool effectively is of course likely to improve with instruction and practice. Importantly, my results do suggest that instruction in STT use in conjunction with writing processes such as revising is crucial for successful usage of this tool. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Göteborg: Institutionen för svenska, flerspråkighet och språkteknologi, 2023. p. 246
Series
Göteborgsstudier i nordisk språkvetenskap, ISSN 1652–3105 ; 44
Keywords
language, spoken language, reading and writing difficulties, writing processes, writing strategies, keystroke logging, writing tools, assistive technology, speech-to-text, speech recognition, dictation, lexical analysis, revision, text quality, expository texts
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Research subject
Humanities, Swedish
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-124492 (URN)9789180691765 (ISBN)9789180691758 (ISBN)
Public defence
2023-06-16, J330, Humanisten, Renströmsgatan 6, Göteborg, 13:15 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Projects
Skriva är silver och tala guld – eller?
Funder
Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation, 2014–0122
Available from: 2023-09-12 Created: 2023-09-12 Last updated: 2023-09-12Bibliographically approved

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