This study addressed two questions related to the writing of second graders ("n"=195). The first examined the effects of writing prompts on the compositional fluency of second-grade students. The second considered whether these effects are different based on spelling achievement and handwriting fluency. Students wrote six narratives in response to…

Interest readiness as opposed to developmental readiness was the determinant in teaching five year olds to print the alphabet. (JH)

Noting that handwriting is a subskill that often becomes an instructional end rather than a means to enhance written communication, this paper examines research on handwriting and its implications for instruction. Following an introduction on the current status of handwriting instruction, the paper summarizes research on handwriting legibility,…

The handwriting of 756 eleventh grade students was evaluated to determine whether their handwriting styles would be characteristic of the manuscript or cursive styles they had been taught. Subjects had been taught Zaner-Bloser manuscript in primary grades with a transition to cursive in third grade. Analysis of handwriting samples revealed a wide…

Although handwriting should not be formally taught in the preschool years, teachers can help children develop visual motor integration and other related skills required for writing. The activities suggested in this manual, while neither new nor different, are presented in a simple step-by-step form designed to facilitate success. Exercises focus…

In a longitudinal study comparing two different methods of handwriting instruction, the manuscript and cursive styles of D'Nealian and Zaner Bloser were compared. Subjects were 86 first and second graders, from four classrooms in a rural Illinois school district, taught according to only one or the other of these methods since kindergarten. A…

This paper describes the writing skills section of a language skills framework that was devised as part of a project to indicate language competencies necessary for functioning in English classrooms in grades one through six. The paper discusses the collection and grade leveling of the writing skills and describes the organization of those skills…

Subjects were given three trials to speak and to write as fast as they could both the alphabet and a set of two-digit numbers. The speed or oral responding was approximately 6 syllables per second for letters and 7 syllables per second for digits. The speed for writing was approximately 2 items per second for both digits and letters. Correlations…

Evaluation of letters written by four mildly mentally handicapped eighth grade males either by hand or by word processor indicated: longer letters and more revisions when the word processor was used; higher mean number of words written per unit time when handwritten; and no difference in holistic evaluation of letter quality. (Author/DB)

Direct instruction and practice, visual prompts, self-instruction procedures, evaluative reinforcement, and charting were used to remediate the handwriting deficiencies of a gifted, left-handed first grader. (CL)

Describes the various anomalies which occur in people's writing when there is right brain damage; compares writing impairments to the reading and drawing impairments that these patients also show. Analyzes the phenomenom of unilateral visual neglect and suggests hypotheses as to the nature of this disorder. (SED)

Examines influences of construct, writer, assignment, and rater variables on the evaluation of handwriting products and investigates the instructional applicability of handwriting scales. Results indicated handwriting scales do not provide an adequate means of determining competence, individualizing instruction, or monitoring progress. (Author/ABB)

A newly developed manuscript alphabet was compared with a traditional one to observe their effects on the teaching of cursive handwriting. Results showed no significant differences between the two types in teaching the production of cursive letters when presented to first graders. (Author/DF)

Examined with 48 first graders was the effect of initial instruction in cursive writing on reading, spelling, and perceptual skills and the validity of suggestions that learning disabled children should be taught cursive writing. (DB)