| Popis: |
In this contribution, we draw on methodology from key logging and writing analytics to offer a fresh look at formulation processes. Key logging captures the inscription processes of writers and by analysing and visualizing them, we can draw inferences on decision making strategies during formulation. At the current stage of our work, we are experimenting with qualitative and quantitative evaluation methodologies. Many of our insights concern formulation patterns that seem typical for digital writing and which make it necessary break new theoretical ground relating formulation to technology use and thinking. Our access point to writing processes is the analysis of texts written within Thesis Writer, a tool that allows writing processes to be tracked visually through a time slider, and to be analysed incrementally and statistically. We follow a writing analytics approach that draws on ongoing writing projects stretching across several months rather than artificial writing assignments for research purposes. We selected nine bachelor theses for analysis. Approximately 2,500 logging data events per text with timestamps and incremental text versions were gathered, processed and analysed in an R environment. We present time slider visualizations of text development and provide qualitative and quantitative evidence demonstrating that thinking and writing in digital contexts connect differently than previously assumed. Our data also demonstrates that writers use far more words than remain in final texts. Revision appears to outweigh planning and idea development as writers are caught in continuous re-writing and rearrangement cycles. We see a tendency away from linear writing to patchwork writing, where chunks of words are placed on screen and rearranged until idea development stops. Text progress also appears connected to growing lexical density, showing that new words needed to develop a text are added in successive revision cycles, and that idea development necessarily connects to this lexical enrichment. |
