Who cares about handwriting, anyway? It’s the 21st century, after all. We have iPads and iPhones, computers that spell check and fonts that go from French script to Freestyle and back to Times New Roman.
But to Laura Dinehart, an assistant professor at Florida International University’s College of Education, handwriting matters. A lot.
In research funded by the Children’s Trust and soon to be published in the Journal of Early Childhood Education and Development, Dinehart discovered that 4-year-olds who demonstrate strong handwriting skills are more likely to excel academically in elementary school. Research on the importance of handwriting is just beginning to emerge, and Dinehart’s findings establish a new link in understanding how penmanship plays a role in a child’s academic development.
We talk about reading, we talk about math, but no one talks about handwriting,” Dinehart said. “It’s not even a subject area in many classrooms anymore. We don’t ask kids to spend time on their handwriting, when in fact, the research is clear that kids who have greater ease in writing have better academic skills in 2nd grade in both reading and math.”
Dinehart took a sample of 1,000 2nd grade students in Miami-Dade County Public Schools and linked their grades and academic scores back to the information gathered from them when they were still in pre-kindergarten.
Students who received good grades on fine motor writing tasks in pre-k had an average GPA of 3.02 in math and 2.84 in reading – B averages. Those who did poorly on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k had an average GPA of 2.30 in math and 2.12 in Reading – C averages.
More impressively, those who did well on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k scored in the 59th percentile on the Reading SAT in second grade (just above average) and in the 62nd percentile on the Math SAT. Kids who did poorly on the fine motor writing tasks in pre-k scored in the 38th percentile on the Reading SAT in second grade and in the 37nd percentile on the Math SAT.
There is still much research to be done, and many questions to answer. What exactly is happening when a child’s academic performance improves when his or her handwriting is practiced? Exactly how much practice is necessary before results are seen?
Dinehart will attempt to answer those questions in the second part of her research. However, one thing is clear.
“People should take a second look at how important handwriting might actually be,” she said. “And public schools should rethink how much they focus on handwriting in the classroom and how those skills can really improve reading and math.”
For tips on how parents can encourage their children to practice their handwriting, click here.
Great article! I truly enjoyed reading it. I’m glad I’m not the only one that was O.C.D. about my handwriting as a child!
This is excellent research to support pediatric occupational therapy. Children who exhibit fine motor delays can qualify for school based occupational therapy services to improve their skills.
Although I agree with the author of this article regarding the importance of teaching handwriting, I do not understand where the title of the article holds true. The research indicates higher scores in fine motor skill development had an undetermined relationship to higher grades. I did not see where any handwriting analysis was evaluated or reviewed.
Glad you like the research… I agree that it supports pediatric occupational therapy and I hope it furthers your endeavors. In response to you final thought, I want to note that children’s fine motor writing skills at age 4 were evaluated using a standardized instrument that provided parameters by which to score their writing skills. I hope that clarified a bit and take care!
Dr. Dinehart, we would have loved for you to attend the National Handwriting Summit taking place this Monday, January 23rd in Washington D.C. Take a look at the site for the event and let us know what you think. http://www.hw21summit.com Great research!
RT @tigerpens: Education researcher finds link between good handwriting, good grades. http://t.co/FBOk0Mgt
Although I’m no researcher, I find it kind of difficult to believe it all just comes back to handwriting. My close friends from high school and I all had horrible handwriting yet we consistently outperformed the majority of our school, even those with good handwriting. I’m definitely curious to see how the trend continues past 2nd grade and maybe even through post-secondary education though.
Good handwriting and good grades: FIU researcher finds new link http://t.co/pNAvF3Fv #FIU
RT @FIU: Want better grades? Drop the iPad and pick up a notebook. http://t.co/PF4ylBG3
1,000 children in this study. “It’s not even a subject area in many classrooms anymore. We don’t ask kids to… http://t.co/OExQDzNF
Good handwriting and good grades: FIU researcher finds new link http://t.co/eP6XYxqA
Good handwriting and good grades: FIU researcher finds new link http://t.co/fnPkwH1l via @fiu
Good handwriting and good grades: FIU researcher finds new link – #HigherEd #Education – http://t.co/qPbo4Exb
http://t.co/JIfkqXo6
I would have to look at the study more closely but my first thought is that handwriting skills are at best an indicator of school readiness and not the direct cause of higher grades in elementary. If a 4 year old can write, it is because someone has taken the time to teach and work with that child and thus that child is likely to have been exposed to a lot more prior to entering school than a child that comes in with no writing skills. Abilities due to early exposure to advanced material. parental involvement, academic preschool versus daycare, etc tend to even out or at least close the gap somewhat by 3rd grade so a longer study period would be needed. As a parent of a child that has excelled academically but has horrific handwriting even to this day, my experience as a parent and as a former student is that plenty of kids, particularily on the math and sciences, have poor handwriting but excellent grades. Further, I also wonder if there is not some grading bias against sloppy handwriting –teachers often see it as a lack of effort rather than a developmental issue.
Hi parent! I really appreciate your comments which indicates to me that you are an excellent consumer of research. I agree that it this point we can only argue that early writing skills are indicative but not necessarily the direct cause of better academic performance. We are currently conducting research to examine the underlying mechanisms that link writing to later academics. We also considered the teacher issue – although fine motor was associated with a standardized assessment that involved no subjective ratings. Finally, exposure to writing, like reading and math is extremely important – you are absolutely right! Thanks again!
Interesting read…
Good handwriting and good grades: FIU researcher finds new link http://t.co/DRTb5Irh via @fiu
Ms. Dinehart, it is so refreshing to find someone as dedicated as you are to the “reincarnation” of handwriting! Handwriting needs advocates because, as your research shows, the underlying skills that are the key elements for the mastery of handwriting are the foundations for reading and math as well! Thank you for your dedication to the art of handwriting!
We know the brain develops in stages. The link between handwriting and grades is probably less cause and effect and more predictive. A child may write early and well because s/he has the mental capacity meshed with physical skills at a given point in time. Measuring the presence or absence of fine motor skills at a given age is one criteria among many that enable diagnoses regarding the state of brain-body development. It may be that practicing activities employing fine motor skills may stimulate neural development in a particular area of the brain. However, the fact that handwriting is sloppy after a particular window in child time is probably not predictive of anything more than patience and interest. Or maybe – if it’s my kid – a predictably last minute effort completed on lumpy backpack in the back seat of the car.
Don’t let National Handwriting Day go to waste! FIU research shows kids get smarter if they practice their handwriting: http://t.co/SK1T8dUr
Great article. Those of us in early childhood education have known this for some time, but this research validates the importance of proper handwriting skills.
I think the correlation (not causation) between handwriting and grades is probably due to attention to detail and desire to perform well make it more likely that a person will excel at both. I am confused how handwriting therapy will help improve overall intelligence or academics aside from the potential feelings of accomplishment boosting the desire to perform well.
RT @PerriKlass: Neatness counts–are kids with good handwriting better students–and how about doctors? http://t.co/h56yeVch
http://news.fiu.edu/2012/01/good-handwriting-and-good-grades-fiu-researcher-finds-new-link/34934
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Honestly, I have terrible handwriting considering that I’m a girl. But modesty aside, I graduated with honors…. top of the class!
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