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Keyboarding and visual-motor skills in elementary students: a pilot study
Becky Chwirka1, Burke Gurney, Patricia A Burtner
1Moriarty School District, Moriarty, NM.
Occupational Therapy in Health Care
|August 15, 2013
Summary
Structured keyboarding instruction improved visual-motor skills and approached handwriting speeds in second graders. This suggests typing can be an effective compensatory approach for classroom writing.
Area of Science:
- Educational Technology
- Occupational Therapy
- Special Education
Background:
- Technology integration in schools is increasing.
- Occupational therapists use computers as intervention tools.
- Efficacy of computer training on student functional skills is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the impact of a structured keyboarding program.
- Assess effects on visual-motor skills (eye-hand coordination).
- Evaluate effects on written communication skills in second graders.
Main Methods:
- Pilot study with 66 second-grade students.
- Intervention group: 32 students received daily typing instruction for 8 months.
- Control group: 34 students received no formal typing instruction.
Main Results:
- Significant improvement in visual-motor abilities for the keyboarding group compared to controls.
- Typing speeds approached handwriting speeds for second graders.
- Keyboarding shows potential as a compensatory handwriting strategy.
Conclusions:
- Keyboarding instruction positively impacts visual-motor skills.
- Typing can be a viable alternative to handwriting for some students.
- Further research on keyboarding for students with learning disabilities is recommended.
