The Effect of Spell and Grammar Checkers on Pupils’ English: A Study of Texts Written by Norwegian School Children Aged 13-14 Years

Abstract

This thesis has investigated how the use of the spell and grammar checker in Microsoft Word affects spelling and grammar in English texts written by pupils aged 13-14 years in Norwegian schools. This topic was researched due to the increased use of digital aids in schools and the uncertainty regarding the effects of using of these tools. Assessment is a significant part of a teacher’s professional responsibility in schools, and pupils often submit assignments digitally. Still, little research has been found on how spell and grammar checkers impact the evaluations pupils receive. Based on this, the study has investigated the extent to which we identify errors in texts written by a sample of pupils with and without the spell and grammar control program in Microsoft Word activated, as well as the extent to which these pupils claim to use, and understand how to use, this digital tool.

To research the impact of spell and grammar checkers on pupils' writing skills, quantitative data were collected by gathering 60 texts produced by 30 pupils under two separate conditions: one where they had deactivated the autocorrection function in Microsoft Word, and one where they had activated the feature. Additionally, pupils answered a questionnaire, providing insights into their knowledge and experience with the program. Various statistical tests were done to assess the significance of the study's results. To gain a more comprehensive understanding of the pupils’ texts, the study includes a detailed analysis of eight chosen individual texts.

The findings of this study indicate that the spell check in Microsoft Word significantly contributes to reducing the number of spelling errors related to speech sound, incorrect capitalisation, and misuse of apostrophes among pupils. The study reviled that the grammar checker does not significantly help minimize pupils’ verb-related errors, but instead proves effective in reducing other types of grammatical errors. However, while the use of the spell and grammar checker in Microsoft Word leads to a significant decrease in error rates, its effectiveness varies among individual pupils. Moreover, the findings of this study suggest that frequent use of spell and grammar checkers may have implications for summative and formative assessment, both for assessing each pupil’s language skills fairly and for ensuring that assessment contributes to learning.