Investigation of Primary School Students' Handwriting and Digital Writing Skills

• In Event: Explorations of Educational Reforms and Tools for School Improvement

Proposal

Today, technological developments are increasing daily, and changing and developing technology applications are becoming widespread in every field. As a result of this change, literacy is gradually being replaced by digital literacy. With this rapid change, students and teachers need to increase their knowledge and skills in digital technology and integrate these skills with education. Especially the primary school period, where this integration can be made, has a critical importance in acquiring technology usage skills in all developmental areas. Both in Turkey and abroad, how technology should be adapted in primary school education has been an important research topic. In Turkey, the scope of application examples on how and at what level students can use digital technology is quite limited. In this context, to improve students' digital technology competencies, to support their learning and development, how primary school students use digital technology and to reveal application examples will fill this gap. The subject of the study is the extent to which the change and transformation in literacy skills with digital technology affects students' manual and digital writing skills. The study aims to examine the manual and digital writing skills of primary school students (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th grade). In line with this purpose;
- How are students' handwriting skills in four dimensions: looking, dictation, writing what is dictated, writing what they understand about a subject, and writing their opinion about a subject?
- How are students' digital writing skills?
In the study, the “case study” design, one of the qualitative research approaches, was used. The study group consisted of a total of 77 students, one from each grade level of a primary school in a provincial center in central Anatolia in Turkey, which is equipped with digital technology and actively uses digital technology in the education process.
During the data collection process, the students were observed in the classrooms for one month by the researchers using the non-participant observation technique. Photographs and camera records were taken during the observations and the “Writing Skill Observation Form” developed by the researchers was used. During the observation process, data were collected by the teacher giving writing instructions to the children in the natural education process and then observing the writing skills of the children. According to the Writing Skills Observation Form, manual and digital writing skills of primary school (1st-4th grade) students were determined.
How the students used digital technology in the writing process was documented through video recordings, photographs, and observation notes, and the data were analyzed through content and descriptive analysis.
The data obtained as a result of the research were analyzed, tabulated, and interpreted. When the students' handwriting skills were analyzed according to the number of letters they wrote, the distribution was as follows: writing by looking; 1st grade (32.1), 2nd grade (46.6), 3rd grade (57.8), 4th grade (111.6), writing what is said; 1st grade (39.6), 2nd grade (105.3), 3rd grade (76), 4th grade (133.9), writing what is understood; 1st grade (28.6), 2nd grade (28.6), 2nd grade (28.6), 3rd (76), 4th grade (133.9), writing what they understand; 1st grade (28.6), 2nd grade (48.9), 3rd grade (62.4), 4th grade (102.4), free writing; 1st grade (43.3), 2nd grade (72.3), 3rd grade (77.1), 4th grade (162).
When students' digital writing skills were analyzed according to the number of letters they wrote: looking writing; 1st grade (15), 2nd grade (26.3), 3rd grade (69.5), 4th grade (88.1), writing what is said; 1st grade (20.4), 2nd grade (56.2), 3rd grade (70. 1), 4th grade (110.6), writing what they understand; 1st grade (18.9), 2nd grade (34.7), 3rd grade (54.5), 4th grade (85.2), free writing; 1st grade (20.8), 2nd grade (49.8), 3rd grade (68.9), 4th grade (107.8). When the manual and digital writing skills of primary school students in Turkey were analyzed, it was found that while 1st and 2nd grade students wrote more letters manually in looking writing, 3rd and 4th-grade students wrote more letters in digital writing. When the students' spoken writing skills were compared, it was found that only 3rd-grade students wrote more letters by hand, while 1st, 2nd, and 4th-grade students were more successful in digital writing. When students' comprehension writing and free writing skills were analyzed, it was found that students were more successful in handwriting. In other words, it was observed that they wrote more letters by hand. While handwriting skills were better than digital writing skills at the 1st and 2nd-grade level, it was observed that digital writing skills were more developed in the 3rd and 4th grades. Primary school students' comprehension of writing and free writing skills were better than handwriting skills in all grades. Different activities and practices should be included to improve students' digital writing skills.

Authors

• Yalcin Bay, Michigan State University

• Douglas K. Hartman, Michigan State University