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Effects of a kinesthetic cursive handwriting intervention for grade 4-6 students
Gwenyth I Roberts1, Jodi E Siever, Judith A Mair
1Decision Support Research Team, Alberta Children's Hospital, Alberta Health Services, Acadia Community Health Centre, 132-151 86th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta T2H 3A5, Canada. gwen.roberts@albertahealthservices.ca
Objective:
We studied whether Grade 4-6 students who participated in a kinesthetic writing intervention improved in legibility, speed, and personal satisfaction with cursive handwriting.
Method:
Small groups of students with handwriting difficulties were seen weekly for 7 wk using a kinesthetic writing system. A repeated measures design was used to evaluate change in global legibility, individual letter formation, specific features of handwriting, and personal satisfaction.
Results:
Analysis revealed (1) a significant increase in ratings of global legibility (p <.01; clinically significant improvements in 39% of students); (2) significant improvements in letter formation and legibility features of baseline, closure, and line quality (all p < .05); (3) increased handwriting speed (p < .05; not clinically significant); and (4) significant increase in measures with personal satisfaction of handwriting (p < .01). CONCLUSION. A kinesthetic handwriting intervention may be effective in improving the skills of students with handwriting challenges.
