Date of Award
12-2017
Document Type
Action Research Project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education, Montessori
First Advisor
Alisha Brandon
Department/School
Montessori Early Childhood, Education
Abstract
The action research question for this study was, “What effect would the addition of a program by Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) called, Transition to Kindergarten, in a block everyday have on the development of handwriting skills of my four-year-old students?” Beyond utilizing the HWT program, the reviewed literature on handwriting instruction expounded on six major themes: brain benefits of handwriting, blocks of handwriting instruction (speed and legibility), name writing (gross & fine motor skills), the connection between writing and reading, and phonological awareness. This project was conducted in a private Montessori school in South Florida, where six preschool participants (age four) were studied and evaluated for six weeks. Data was compiled by using a presentation log, attitude scale, and a self-generated rubric to track the following: pencil firmness on paper, directionality, letter formation, spacing, line usage, circle closure, name writing, and copying a sentence to a line. The researcher's overall results were positive when assessing handwriting attributes of formation, size, neatness, speed, posture, pencil grip and helping hand position. Future implementation of the action research project will be introduced to the entire preschool as a new addition to the handwriting curriculum.
Recommended Citation
Valdez, Shelley B.. (2017). The Effect of Handwriting Without Tears on Montessori Four-year-olds' Handwriting Ability. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/maed/237