Study protocol: DigiHand – the emergence of handwriting skills in digital classrooms

Siv M Gamlem,Vibeke Rønneberg,Per Henning Uppstad,Wenke Mork Rogne

doi:10.23865/njlr.v6.2115

Siv M Gamlem, Vibeke Rønneberg + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.23865/njlr.v6.2115

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Abstract

This protocol article presents the project “DigiHand: The emergence of handwriting skills in digital classrooms.”1 The project is a longitudinal natural experiment investigating how the use of different writing tools influences students’ handwriting and letter knowledge, word reading, spelling, written narrative composition and teacher–student interactions in Grades 1 and 2 (students aged 6 years in Grade 1). Participants are 33 schools (n = 585 students) representing three occurring conditions for learning writing skills in early years. Students in these conditions either (1) learn to write on a tablet while postponing handwriting, (2) learn both to handwrite and write on a tablet or (3) learn to handwrite. Effect analyses are conducted on four main domains of measures: (i) students’ letter knowledge, spelling competence and word reading competence; (ii) students’ handwriting fluency; (iii) students’ ability to write narrative compositions; (iv) quality of teacher–student interactions. This protocol describes the background, design and pre- and outcome measures for the research project.

Highlights

In an age where classrooms are becoming increasingly digitized, knowledge of how digitalization influences learning is crucial
In a small-scale study comparing students for whom handwriting was postponed until Grade 2 with students who learned to write with a pencil, the results showed that reading and writing skills were better in the group with postponed handwriting (Genlott & Grönlund, 2013)
In the DigiHand project, we investigate how the use of different writing tools influences writing and word reading skills during the two first years of schooling

Summary

Background

In an age where classrooms are becoming increasingly digitized, knowledge of how digitalization influences learning is crucial. In Norway, the curriculum requires early grade classrooms to include both handwriting and digital tools in literacy instruction but does not specify how and to what extent

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Summary and implications

Findings

Funding and Acknowledgements