Handwriting in 2015: A main occupation for primary school–aged children in the classroom?

ABSTRACT

Historically, handwriting is a skill acquired by children in the classroom. The relevance of this skill today is currently debated due to advances in technology. A nonexperimental time-series design investigated how much time Australian primary school children spend on handwriting in the classroom. A second aim investigated how much time was spent on technology activities in the classroom. Three schools participated and nine classrooms were observed. Findings indicated that the use of technology is still emerging in a primary school classroom and, although time spent on fine motor activities has reduced, handwriting remains a main occupation for children in the classroom in the early 21st century.

KEYWORDS:

• Classroom
• handwriting
• occupational therapy
• technology

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to acknowledge the Victorian Department of Education and Training and express great appreciation for their support in the undertaking of this research project.