Handwriting Readiness among Digital Native Kindergarten Students

Abstract

Aims: Handwriting is an essential life skill, impacted by proficiency in visual-motor integration and fine motor control. The increase in the use of digital technology has changed the way children interact with their environments, and potentially, the development of the important requisite skills for handwriting. This study examined the “handwriting readiness” skills of children born in the digital age.

Methods: 219 children in their first year of formal schooling (mean age = 5 years, 10 months), completed the Beery Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration (Beery-VMI) and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) Short Form to assess visual motor integration, overall motor proficiency, and fine motor proficiency. Pencil grasp was also observed. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics and comparison to established normative data using summary t-tests.

Results: Participants met the expected performance level on the Beery-VMI and the manual dexterity subtest of the BOT-2. However, overall motor proficiency on the BOT-2 for our sample was lower than published normative data. Further, 60.3% of participants used static pencil grasps.

Conclusions: The findings prompt us to question the potential contribution of digital technology to changes in motor performance among children in the digital age.

Keywords:

• Handwriting
• kindergarten
• motor proficiency
• pencil grasp
• visual-motor integration

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the principals, staff, students and families of Blue Haven and Blackalls Park Public Schools for their support of this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Alison J. Sheedy

Alison Sheedy is an occupational therapist working in paediatric private practice in the greater Newcastle, Australia area. Alison led this study as part of her Honours degree in Occupational Therapy at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Jackson Brent

Jackson Brent is employed as a clinical educator in the University of Occupational Therapy Occupational Therapy Clinic. He provides occupational therapy services, staff education and student training within primary schools for self-regulation, fine and gross motor skills, and handwriting concerns.

Kerry Dally

Kerry Dally is a senior lecturer in the School of Education at The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. She researches and lectures in the areas of literacy acquisition, learning difficulties, and early childhood education and intervention.

Karen Ray

Karen Ray is an occupational therapist and lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Her work and research interests have been in collaborative approaches to occupational therapy interventions in school settings. Email: [email protected].

Alison E. Lane

Alison E. Lane is an occupational therapist and conjoint professor in the School of Health Sciences and the Priority Research Centre GrowUpWell at The University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and, also Deputy Director, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Australia. Her research interests include pediatric occupational therapy, early child development, autism and neurodevelopmental disability.