Journal Articles Psychology in the Schools Year : 2011

Does the handwriting style learnt in first grade determine the style used in the fourth and fifth grades and influence handwriting speed and quality? A comparison between French and Quebec children

Abstract

An important issue relating to the teaching of handwriting concerns the style that should be learnt at school (manuscript or cursive). Whereas some countries choose to teach both styles (e.g. Canada), other countries choose to teach only one (e.g. France). Our research had three main underlying goals, namely (i) to observe and describe the handwriting styles spontaneously used by fourth and fifth graders according to the first style learnt at school; (ii) to describe the evolution of handwriting between the fourth and fifth grades; and (iii) to examine the relationship between speed, legibility and handwriting style. The results revealed that the effects of country, grade level, handwriting style and handwriting instruction were significant. Quebec children wrote faster than French children but their handwriting was less legible. Cursive handwriting was the slower style, whereas mixed handwriting seemed to be more efficient. Handwriting speed and legibility improved from fourth to fifth grade.
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Dates and versions

hal-01146885 , version 1 (28-01-2025)

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Florence Bara, Marie-France Morin. Does the handwriting style learnt in first grade determine the style used in the fourth and fifth grades and influence handwriting speed and quality? A comparison between French and Quebec children. Psychology in the Schools, 2011, 50 (6), pp.601-617. ⟨10.1002/pits.21691⟩. ⟨hal-01146885⟩
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