Cunningham, R. P. (2013). The effects of word prediction and text-to-speech on the writing process of translating (Publication No. 3208035) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri-St. Louis]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1366757184

University of Missouri-St. Louis (St. Louis, MO); ProQuest document ID: 1366757184; also available be downloaded from a University of Missouri webpage at: https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation

The effects of text-to-speech (TTS) features in WordQ for students who have a diagnosis of a disorder in written expression were examined.

Ten elementary and middle school students with disorders of written expression participated. Students were from large schools in a large midwestern city.

Pre- and post-tests consisting of a picture-based writing prompt were used to assess students’ writing. Spelling errors, amount of writing, and maturity level of writing were assessed. In one condition, students responded to the post-test prompt using just word processing software. In a second condition, students responded to the post-test prompt using text-to-speech features in WordQ.

Participants using the text-to-speech feature in WordQ performed significantly better than students who did not use the text-to-speech feature. Researchers concluded that text-to-speech was effective in improving the writing performance of students with a disorder in written expression.