IMPROVING YEAR 3 PUPILS’ HANDWRITING (PENMANSHIP)

THROUGH 3 DOTED CARDS IN A PRIMARY ESL CLASSROOM

INTRODUCTION

English is taught as a second language in all Malaysian primary and secondary

schools. The mastery of English is essential for pupils to gain access to information and

knowledge written in English. In line with the government’s policy on strengthening English,

the curriculum has been designed to produce pupils who will be proficient in the language.

The goal of the English language curriculum is to help pupils acquire the language in order

to help them use it in their daily lives, to further their studies, and for work purposes. English

which is also the dominant language used in Information Communications Technology (ICT)

needs to be mastered to enable our pupils to have easy access to information that is

available on the electronic media such as the Internet.

This curriculum stresses the development of critical literacy. Teachers will provide

opportunities for pupils to question and evaluate texts that they listen to, read or view. These

opportunities are essential for achieving personal growth and confidence in functioning as an

effective and productive member of our society. This is in line with the goals of the National

Philosophy of Education which seeks to optimise the intellectual, emotional and spiritual

potential of pupils.

BACKGROUND

The learning standards for writing begin with pre-writing skills, which addresses

penmanship, the formation of letters, words as well as numbers in clear print. Specific

learning standards are attributed to penmanship so that even from a young age, pupils are

taught good writing habits. Special attention should be given in order to strengthen the

muscles of the hand, develop visual skills, enhance gross and fine motor skills as well as

develop hand-eye coordination to help pupils acquire penmanship. Correct formation of

letters of the alphabet is important in order to help pupils write neatly and later write words,

phrases and sentences legibly. By the end of Year 2, pupils will master the mechanics of

writing and then learn to write at word, phrase and sentence levels. Specific writing activities

devised during lessons will enable pupils to begin writing for a purpose as stipulated in the

learning standards

The area of focus for my project is improving pupils’ handwriting (penmanship).

Without the solid foundation of writing skill the researcher feels the children will be struggle

hard throughout their schooling and adult life. By learning the best writing strategies and how

to best teach these strategies to the pupils, I hope to provide the solid foundation needed to

succeed. Even though some of the pupils could write well, still we have a thought of a way to

improve it.

REFLECTION OF PAST TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Based on my teaching experience , I found out that many of our pupils in Year 3 can

write but not with a proper handwriting. I am hoping that by introducing some of the best

strategies so that the pupils could write with a neat and proper handwriting. This is important

in order for a child to be successful. Steve Graham,  a professor at Vanderbilt University who

studies handwriting acquisition, says that “teachers form judgments, positive or negative,

about the literary value of text based on its overall legibility.” Graham’s studies show that

“when teachers rate multiple versions of the same paper differing only in terms of legibility;

they assign higher grades to neatly written versions of the paper than the same versions with

poorer penmanship.” Another research was done by Sweedler-Brown in 1992, in which 27

original essays were graded in three graphic modes: typed, nicely handwritten, and poorly

handwritten. Nicely handwritten copies of the essays received significantly higher scores

than the poorly handwritten or typed versions. There was no difference in the scores

between the typed and poorly written versions, revealing a strong grader bias toward good

handwriting (Miller S.). This truth is not only found in education. It also applies in the

application process. When tough decisions have to be made in the screening process,

handwriting is used as criteria to weed out candidates if necessary. "For children,

handwriting is extremely important. Not how well they do it, but that they do it and practice

it," said Karin Harman James, an assistant professor in the department of psychological and

brain sciences at Indiana University.

From my observation , I feel that incorporating the game-like strategies into teaching

and learning will improve their writing competency. I am looking forward to working on this

area of concern, and sharing our findings. Some of them are giving the clay or play-dough to

play with to strengthen the major muscles used in handwriting.( need more ..)

THEORY

Handwriting can change how children learn and their brains develop as suggested by

Bounds, 2010, when children practice printing by hand, their neural activity is far more

enhanced and “adult-like”. Indiana University researchers used neuroimaging scans to

measure brain activation in preliterate preschool children who were shown letters. One

group of children then practiced printing letters; the other children practiced seeing and

saying the letters. After four weeks of training, the kids who practiced writing showed brain

activation similar to an adult's, said James, the study's lead researcher. The printing practice

also improved letter recognition, which is the No. 1 predictor of reading ability at age 5.

Besides that, handwriting aids memory (Deardoff, 2011). If we write ourselves a list or a

note, then lose it, we are much more likely to remember what we wrote than if we just tried to

memorize it (Feder K., an occupational therapist and an adjunct professor at the University

Of Ottawa School Of Rehabilitation)

PAST RESEARCH

Handwriting competency inspires confidence (Deardoff, 2011). The more we

practice a skill such as handwriting, the stronger the motor pathways become until the skill

becomes automatic. Once it's mastered, children can move on to focus on the subject,

rather than worry about how to form letters. Handwriting will also engages different brain

circuits. The contact, direction and pressure of the pen or pencil send the brain a message.

And the repetitive process of handwriting "integrates motor pathways into the brain," said

Feder. When it becomes automatic or learned, "there's almost a groove in the pathways,"

she said. “The more children write, the more pathways are laid down. But if they write them

poorly, then they're getting a faulty pathway, so you want to go back and correct it.” (Feder)

( NEED MORE )

RESEARCH ISSUE

The general focus of the present study is on Improving Students’ Handwriting Skill in

Sekolah Kebangsaan Paya Resak , Marang. According to Kamus Dewan Edisi Keempat

(2007), the poor handwriting can be defined as poor, untidy and not neat. Ahmad Taufeek

(2006) said that poor handwriting can be defined as untidy and not clear to be read. From

Ahmad Durani Bin Suip (2009) research, he exposed the pupils the best way of handling the

pencil, the correct body posture, practicing writing in three lines book and also one line book.

In the classroom, some of the pupils’ handwriting could not be read by the teachers even

though they are quite good in presenting the ideas. Therefore, the teachers are having the

difficulties to evaluate the pupils’ work because of their poor handwriting.

Sometimes, handwriting did affect the marks given by the teachers especially in

writing essay. Papers with poorer penmanship are rated lower by teachers for composition

quality. Graham (1999) in his research of the Effects of Poor Handwriting and Spelling stated

that papers with poorer penmanship are rated lower by teachers for composition quality.

Dayang Nurmalisa (2007) stated that no exposure to the right writing techniques and

strategies on the early stage makes the pupils having poor handwriting. Norizan Esa (2005)

in his writing Tiong Houng Ching (2005) support that teaching writing skill among children

using simple to complex method will help them to write better with less mistake made.

What Have I Learnt About My Research Issue

Handwriting is one of the greatest problems among primary ESL classroom pupils.

Successful handwriting instruction combines appropriate materials, direct instruction,

distributed practice and self-monitoring. Students need a legible fluent style of handwriting to

fully participate in writing. Numerous research studies, have found that handwriting

difficulties harm a child’s development as a writer for a number of reasons for example

individual differences handwriting skills and preoccupied with the motor skills of handwriting.

The failure in mastering this skill (handwriting) will affect pupils’ academic

performances and also their future life. Children who experience this problem may avoid

writing and decide that they cannot write, leading to arrested writing development (Graham,

Harris and Fink, 2000). Handwriting leaves impression on people and some people choose

to judge someone just by looking at his/her handwriting. In writing for giving information, a

poor handwriting can cause misunderstanding and confusion. This is because of one wrong

letter or number can give other meaning and this will prevent communication.

3.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

My research objective is to find out wether the three lines book can help to improve

Handwriting ( penmanship ) of Year 3 pupils in Sekolah Kebangsaan Paya Resak , Marang.

3.2 QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED

How will the usage of three lines book and dotted line helps in improving the pupils’

handwriting?

How will the pupils’ respond towards the interventions used?

4.0 RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS.

I decided to choose five pupils as my research participants. The pupils’ names used

in this research are pseudonym as the information of the participants should not be

disclosed and it is also confidential.

5.0 RECOMMENDED INTERVENTION

I will use dotted Card. Dotted cards thirds have three lines, the base line is a full line, while

the two above it are dotted. Children write in these dotted thirds using the full line as the

bottom of most letters. The middle dotted line forms the top edge of non-capitals such as ‘a’,

‘c’ and ‘u’, while the top dotted lines form the top of any letters with a stick, such as ‘b’, ‘d’

and ‘t’. Letters with a tail, like ‘j’, ‘p’ and ‘y’ begin at the middle dotted line and pass through

the base line and down to the top dotted third of the next line.

Observation

To collect the data on the level of penmanship among pupils of Year 3 of SK Paya Resak , I began with an observation to see the level of their writing on paper. For this observation, I will distribute a worksheet containing sentences for 5 of them to copy in order for me to see their writing on paper.

Example:

1. Last weekend, my mother and I went to the supermarket.

2. We went there by taxi.

3. My mother wanted to buy some goods for the kitchen.

After the pupils finished with the worksheet,I will collect all of their work and observe their handwriting.

Intervention

1st intervention:

I will distribute dotted cards alphabets for each of them and ask them to finish the worksheet given.

Example:

Then , I will distribute the dotted cards to each of 5 detected pupils and asked them to copy several sentences according to the lines paper.

Example:

Final observation:

After the intervention, I will ask them to rewrite the 1st worksheet that I will give them earlier and observe their improvement.

Example:

1. Last weekend, my mother and I went to the supermarket.

2. We went there by taxi.

3. My mother wanted to buy some goods for the kitchen.

Dear , I hope u can help me in completing this AR..

Thanks in advance..

Haida…