CAEL RESEARCH TEAM
Cognition and Learning of Writing and Reading
RESEARCH LINES
WRITING INSTRUCTION AND PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF LEARNING DISABILITIES
This research line focuses on the improvement of students’ writing competence and/or the prevention of learning disabilities in writing. This is achieved through instructional approaches focused on the automatisation of low-level cognitive processes in writing, known as transcription skills; and/or the self-regulated and metacognitive mastery of high-level cognitive processes through self-regulated strategy instruction in writing.
COGNITIVE AND MODULATING VARIABLES OF WRITING
This research line focuses on the assessment of modulating variables of either writing composition or reading comprehension from two complementary dimensions.
The first dimension addresses both changes in writing due to age and the role that different variables/processes play in the acquisition of writing competence or reading comprehension.
The second dimension analyses the modulating role of different variables in the efficacy of instruction and addressed how various components or instructional contents explain the efficacy of several instructional approaches, particularly self- regulated strategy-focused instruction, to improve writing competence.
USE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES
This research line is transversal to the other two. In line with the latest advances of our society regarding the development of ICTs, it is worth highlighting this innovative line of the research team, focused on the use of new technologies for both the online assessment and intervention/instruction in the field of written composition.
In this sense, it is worth noting the design and development of several softwares aimed at the online assessment of the writing process through the use of smartpens. Softwares such as MarkWrite, EarlyWritePro (IP. Dr. Torrance) or Handspy (IP Dr. Alves) allow the analysis of smartpens data and, therefore, provides insight into the dinamics of writing in terms of pauses and bursts.
Complementary to assessment softwares, it is worth mentioning the design and development of specific instructional softwares such as: smart tutoring programs focused either on self-regulated strategy instruction (IP Dr. Fidalgo) or on executive functions and mindfulness (IP Dr. Limpo).