The Effects of Learning Modality on the Acquisition and Retention of Letters

• In Event: Critical Issues in Literacy Research 2

Abstract

What is the role of motor experiences in literacy acquisition? We report results from a study of native English-speakers learning the Arabic alphabet through handwriting, typing, or vision-only. All participants learned the letters’ shapes, names, and sounds. We address three questions: 1) Are the letters’ shapes and names learned faster depending on learning modality? 2) Are there differences in retention as a consequence of learning modality? 3) How well does learning generalize across related tasks? The findings support that handwriting is most beneficial to acquiring and retaining letters and generalizing to multiple tasks—participants trained with handwriting were most accurate in writing and spelling, improved quickest on multiple-choice letter recognition tests, and had better retention than those trained with typing.

Authors

• Robert W Wiley, University of North Carolina Greensboro

• Brenda Rapp, Johns Hopkins University