{"id":72832,"date":"2024-05-15T00:22:43","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T04:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=72832"},"modified":"2024-05-15T00:22:43","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T04:22:43","slug":"our-research-shows-children-produce-better-pieces-of-writing-by-hand-but-they-need-keyboard-skills-too","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/our-research-shows-children-produce-better-pieces-of-writing-by-hand-but-they-need-keyboard-skills-too\/","title":{"rendered":"Our research shows children produce better pieces of writing by hand. But they need keyboard skills too"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Children today are growing up surrounded by technology. So it\u2019s easy to assume they will\u00a0be able to write<\/a>\u00a0effectively using a keyboard.<\/p>\n

But\u00a0our research<\/a>\u00a0suggests this is not necessarily true.<\/p>\n

We need to actively teach students to be able to type as well as write using paper and pen or pencil.<\/p>\n

Our research<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Our research team has published two recent studies investigating children\u2019s handwriting and typing.<\/p>\n

In a study published\u00a0last month<\/a>\u00a0we looked at Year 2 students and their handwriting and keyboard writing. This study involved 544 students from 17 primary schools in Perth, Western Australia.<\/p>\n

We assessed how easily students wrote stories using paper and pencil compared to writing stories using a laptop. We found they produced longer and higher-quality handwritten texts. This was based on ten criteria, including ideas, vocabulary, spelling and punctuation.<\/p>\n

These findings echoed our\u00a0December 2023 study<\/a>\u00a0where we did a meta-analysis of studies published between 2000\u20132022. These compared the effects of writing by hand or keyboard on primary students\u2019 writing.<\/p>\n

We looked at 22 international studies involving 6,168 participants from across different countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and other non-native English-speaking countries, such as Germany and Portugal.<\/p>\n

Our analysis showed primary students produce higher quality texts using paper and pen or pencil than when using a keyboard.<\/p>\n

Why are kids stronger in handwriting?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

In Australia \u2013 as in many other countries \u2013 children are taught to write by hand first. Keyboard writing is only added as an extra skill once handwriting has been\u00a0mastered<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We know it is very important to continue to teach children to write by hand, despite so many advances in technology.<\/p>\n

Studies show teaching handwriting in the first years of schooling is connected to improved spelling and greater capacity to write well and\u00a0quickly<\/a>\u00a0in primary and later years of schooling.<\/p>\n

Other\u00a0studies show<\/a>\u00a0using handwriting to create texts (such as notes) promotes our capacity to learn and memorise information.<\/p>\n

But they also need to learn how to use keyboards<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We know it is also important for students be able to write quickly and accurately using a keyboard.<\/p>\n

They will need to use keyboards to write for study, work and life as they get older. This process needs to become automatic so they can concentrate on the content of what they are writing.<\/p>\n

Our\u00a0research<\/a>\u00a0has consistently shown young people who can spell and write quickly and accurately are able to produce longer and higher quality pieces of writing. Other\u00a0studies have shown<\/a>\u00a0when children face difficulties in handwriting or typing, they may often avoid writing altogether and develop a negative mindset toward writing.<\/p>\n

Learning to type is complex<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As our research suggests, students also need to be\u00a0taught<\/a>\u00a0how to use a keyboard. Much like handwriting, it requires a complex set of cognitive, visual and motor processes, requiring frequent practice and instruction.<\/p>\n

It involves learning the location of the keys on a keyboard, combined with spatial skills of positioning, and moving fingers to press the keys in the correct sequence. Students need time to practise so they can move beyond the \u201chunt and peck<\/a>\u201d motion (where you have to hunt visually for each key).<\/p>\n

Research also suggests teaching about keyboards is more\u00a0effective<\/a>\u00a0when spread out over several years.<\/p>\n

First, children need to understand letter locations on the keyboard and the position of their hands, which can be developed via online practice exercises monitored by teachers. Accuracy and speed should not be emphasised until students have mastered where letters are.<\/p>\n

Which comes first?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

While students ultimately need to be able to write both on paper and using digital devices, there are\u00a0unanswered questions<\/a>\u00a0about the order in which handwriting and typing should be taught or whether they should be taught together.<\/p>\n

We also don\u2019t yet know if it matters whether students are learning to write via keyboards, touch typing on tablets or by using stylus pens (devices that look like pencils and write via screens).<\/p>\n

More research is needed to support teachers, students and families.<\/p>\n

How to help your child<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Despite these unknowns, there are many things we can do to help students learn how to\u00a0write<\/a>\u00a0on paper and using a keyboard. These include:<\/p>\n