The following tables summarize responses to a survey administered to all SAU first year students enrolled in NSS 101 (n = 209) in Fall 1999. Individual question responses that do not total 209 reflect missing data.
Writing Activities
How often did you use a dictionary to look up the proper meaning, definition and/or spelling of words?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 17 (8.2%) | 82 (39.4%) | 67 (32.2%) | 40 (19.2%) |
How often did you prepare an outline to organize the sequence of ideas and points in a paper you were editing?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 24 (11.5%) | 73 (35.1%) | 78 (37.5%) | 32 (15.4%) |
How often did you think about grammar, sentence structure, paragraphs and word choices as you were writing?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 3 (1.4%) | 34 (16.3%) | 90 (43.3%) | 81 (38.9%) |
How often did you write a rough draft of a paper or essay and revise it before handing it in?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 4 (1.9%) | 28 (13.5%) | 68 (32.7%) | 108 (51.9%) |
How often did you use a computer (word processor) to write a paper?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 0 | 11 (5.3%) | 29 (13.9%) | 168 (80.8%) |
How often did you ask other people to read something you wrote to see if it was clear to them?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 9 (4.3%) | 41 (19.7%) | 79 (33.7%) | 88 (42.3%) |
How often did you spend at least five hours writing a paper?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 45 (21.6%) | 51 (24.5%) | 65 (31.3%) | 47 (22.6%) |
How often did you ask an instructor for advice and help to improve your writing or about a comment s/he wrote on a paper you wrote?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 27 (13.0%) | 79 (38.0%) | 63 (30.3%) | 39 (18.8%) |
How often did you submit an outline and/or draft along with a final paper?
| Never | Occasionally | Often | Very Often |
| 38 (18.3%) | 43 (20.7%) | 57 (27.4%) | 70 (33.7%) |