Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two methods of keyboarding instruction: one in which students use keyboarding software without assistance, and the other in which students use the same software but have a tutor to guide them in its use. A total of thirty-two students, twenty-four boys and eight girls attending a special education resource program at a suburban elementary school participated in the study. Twenty-two of the participants had been classified as students with learning disabilities and ten as students with behavioral disorders. Half of the students (16) were randomly assigned to the self-directed group and half to the tutor-assisted group. Students in both groups received nine hours of instruction over a twenty-seven-day period with daily sessions thirty minutes in length. Two interim speed and accuracy tests were given approximately one week apart and then posttests measuring speed and accuracy as well as technique were administered on the last day of the study. Results showed that: a) students in both groups experienced a significant increase in keyboarding skills, b) tutors were beneficial in helping students establish proper hand position, body posture, and keystroking techniques, c) but tutors did not cause students to type with greater speed and accuracy.
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