Relationship between Product and Process Characteristics of Handwriting Skills of Children in the Second Grade of Elementary School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the quality and speed of handwriting and the process characteristics of the handwriting of children in the second grade of elementary school considered as a function of age and gender. A sample of 57 children (mean age 7.25 years, SD 0.43) participated in the study. The Concise Assessment Method for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) was used to assess the quality and speed of handwriting. The characteristics of the process of handwriting were assessed using MovAlyzeR® software. The handwriting of boys showed a significantly greater number of strokes and slanted more to the right than the handwriting of girls. Handwriting quality and speed significantly correlated with several process characteristics: the number of strokes, reaction time, duration, relative pen-down duration, average pen pressure, vertical size, horizontal size, road length, and average absolute velocity. This research contributes to the construction of normative values in the process characteristics of the handwriting of elementary school children and provides a promising step towards the early identification of difficulties that can lead to dysgraphia, thus preventing later difficulties in handwriting.

Enhancing Handwriting Performance of Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) Using Computerized Visual Feedback

“…Another interesting finding is that the total percentage of letters written increased in the intervention with visual feedback. The findings of Coradinho et al [55] findings that children with a higher average absolute velocity wrote a larger number of characters support our results.…”

Is There a Deficit in Product and Process of Handwriting in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? A Systematic Review and Recommendations for Future Research

“…These results, which show that both domains come under impairment, are in line with recent works on typically developing school-aged children supporting the idea that handwriting quality and speed significantly correlate with various process characteristics (e.g., the number of strokes, reaction time, duration, on-paper duration, pen pressure, vertical and horizontal sizes, absolute velocity, etc.). In the study by Coradinho et al [52], poorer handwriting quality was notably associated with a higher average absolute pen velocity, larger vertical or horizontal sizes and lower relative on-paper duration. This suggests that kinematic abnormalities could at least partly account for difficulties in terms of the quality and/or speed of handwriting.…”

Handwriting Skills and Their Role in Text Generation: A Longitudinal Study with Graphonomic Measures

“…As children progress, aspects of their handwriting, such as stroke duration, number of strokes, pause duration, and vertical/horizontal dimensions, generally decrease, while pen velocity tends to increase. (see for a review, Coradinho et al, 2023).…”

“…In the scientific literature, there is no consensus regarding handwritten road length, as some studies suggest a decrease in road length with advancing age, while others report the absence of any significant relationship between handwritten road length and age (for a comprehensive review, see Coradinho et al, 2023). In the present study, as children achieve greater proficiency in writing speed, they can execute motor programs more efficiently, thereby releasing cognitive resources for engagement in higher-order cognitive processes and the development of more extensive and sophisticated textual compositions.…”

“…Handwriting skills are essential for academic success and develop over several years (Coradinho et al, 2023). In its early stages, handwriting demands conscious attentional control, but with consistent practice, it evolves into an automated process.…”