Ideas & Findings

When it comes to writing essays, neatness may not always count. So concludes a study published in the fall issue of the Journal of Educational Measurement.

In their study, four researchers from the Educational Testing Service--Donald E. Powers, Mary E. Fowles, Marisa Farnum, and Paul Ramsey--sought to determine whether handwritten or word-processed essays produced higZV)cores on a pilot test for prospective teachers. They selected 32 students who were taking the test and asked them to produce two essays--one that was handwritten and one that was done on a computer.

After the essays were scored, professional word-processors converted the handwritten essays into word-processed versions but were instructed not to correct any spelling or grammatical errors. In the same way, professional transcribers converted the computer-written versions--errors and all--into handwritten copies. Trained readers who were unaware of the purpose of the study then re-scored...