Abstract:

This study reports on a survey of Spanish instructors' views on the use of computers in Spanish composition instruction. Data are reported for 208 (from a total of 1,678) full-time instructional faculty at universities, two-year colleges, and high schools across the nation. Most respondents taught one-semester courses whose enrollment sizes were increasing. Text use for the majority of programs is three years or less. This corresponds to the advent of process-model texts. Apples and IBM-PCs predominate among the hardware available. The lack of foreign-character support remains the major frustration reported. Essay analyzers are new to nearly everyone. There is mixed opinion about the real versus the expected benefits of using word processors as part of composition instruction. However, the time appears right for a paradigm shift and curriculum definition to include computer-assisted composition instruction.

Author: T. Edward Harvey