The Impact of Digital Tools on Self-Regulation and the Writing Process

Writing is a complex cognitive task which leads many writers to struggle with procrastination, which can hinder their productivity, career development, and mental health (Sadler, 1989; Boice, 1989, 1993). A broad range of measures indicates how well someone’s writing practice is going, such as frequency and duration of sessions, volume and quality of output, and enjoyment. Self-regulated learning (SRL) provides several methods for enhancing these. It involves setting goals, monitoring progress, and adjusting strategies to achieve learning objectives (Ceron et al., 2021; Alvarez et al., 2022). While various tools exist to support SRL, many face challenges in terms of user-friendliness, engagement, motivation, and personalised feedback (Vieira et al., 2018; Ceron et al., 2021; Topali et al., 2023). One notable example is the effort-intensive self-monitoring tool Boice employed, causing participants to stop self-monitoring (Boice, 1985). Of the many methods, this study investigates four writing analytics, reflections, customisable writing goals, and writing blocks, and aims to determine how these influence writing frequency, duration, and volume, and also engagement with each of the tools. We conducted a three-phase, three-month study involving 27 bachelor students. The tools were optional and consisted of writing analytics visualisation and reflection prompts (Phase 1), customisable writing goals (Phase 2), and writing blocks logger (Phase 3). Participants were also administered pre-and-post questionnaires about their writing processes. Initial engagement was promising with 22 active users, though this number decreased to 18 over time. Writing analytics usage also showed a decline, from 100% to 90% among active users. The tools demonstrate potential in enhancing the self-regulation of writing, but maintaining consistent engagement remains a challenge. Results suggest that students could benefit from reminders (Piotrkowicz et al., 2017; Vieira et al., 2018; Sembey et al., 2023). To further help writers, additional supportive tools will be incorporated to study if motivational cues, for example, can offer solutions to writing blocks. At this conference, we will present if there are any correlations between students' perceptions of the writing process with aspects related to dropout and or engagement, and evaluate whether certain tools increase student engagement during their writing.