The development of writing skills in primary students is one of the elements of primary education. Chamberlain and Kerrigan-Draper (2016) stress that writing helps people create and shape their identities that are revealed in their diaries, writings, blogs, posts, communications. Clearly, one of the primary roles of writing communication and information sharing. At such early stages, children acquire the necessary skills and knowledge that is the basis for their further development. At the same time, teachers often fail to encourage young learners to work hard. Chamberlain and Kerrigan-Draper (2016) emphasise that writing is associated with the worst students’ performance as compared to such areas as reading or mathematics. Moreover, gender has proved to be an influential variable affecting students’ progress. This paper includes a brief description of an intervention aimed at enhancing 7-year-old boys’ performance in writing at one of the Manchester’s primary schools.
The school in question is Manchester Road Primary Academy. This primary school has 440 pupils on roll. The pupils are girls and boys between 3 and 11 years old (Ofsted 2017). The learners’ performance is similar to the academic achievement of students of other educational establishments. For instance, the majority of learners (66%) meet expected standards in writing, reading, and maths while the England average is even lower (61%) (Manchester Road Primary Academy 2017). As for the rate of high-achievers, the school under consideration is lagging behind as only 3% of students achieve at a higher standard in maths, writing, and reading. To compare, England average of such learners is 9%. Importantly, boys’ performance is significantly worse than girls’ achievements as 54% of boys meet the standards in maths, reading, and writing. Whereas, almost two-thirds of the girls meet the expected standards in these areas. Boys’ progress in writing is the lowest in the school (as well as in England) and is -2.5. These figures suggest that boys’ academic performance needs significant improvements.
Brief Analysis of the Existing Interventions That Can Be Employed
The figures provided above show that the methods used in primary education are far from being perfect or even effective as only slightly over 60% of learners meet the set standards. It has been acknowledged that teaching writing skills at primary schools is often confined to drills as well as traditional exercises and assignments (Wohlwend & Buchholz 2014). If this approach dominates in a classroom, learners are often unmotivated and reluctant to complete the tasks or even attend classes. The use of games and various handouts and templates is beneficial when it comes to teaching writing. However, even these methods are not quite appealing to modern students. Therefore, it is important to seek new strategies and paradigms.
Scholars and practitioners try to develop new strategies and frameworks aimed at encouraging learners to work harder. In many cases, the use of technology is regarded as an appropriate way to motivate students who are accustomed to using various devices. Neumann (2018) found that literacy applications and the use of tabs were effective for alphabet knowledge, but had no significant effect on the development of letter writing skills. Wollscheid, Sjaastad, and Tømte (2016) conducted a review of the studies that involved the use of digital devices. The researchers stress that the digital component could be used as a complementary element only as students still benefit from handwriting rather than keyboarding when acquiring writing skills. At the same time, Wohlwend and Buchholz (2014) found that the use of games (including virtual games) and digital devices can facilitate the learning process. The researchers also stress that these digital-based assignments can be used as an addition rather than the primary tasks.
Intervention Description
The suggested intervention involved a combination of traditional tasks, games, and the use of digital devices to develop writing skills in boys aged seven and eight years old. A group of six boys participated in training sessions that lasted for 45 minutes and were held twice a week. Houser (2014) claims that it is rather hard to estimate the effectiveness of an educational incentive, strategy, or method without pre- and post-tests as well as an alternative program. In the present case, it could be impossible to assume that the participants would benefit from the use of technology as they could improve their skills due to the additional training. To avoid any bias, the participants of this study were divided into two groups. The control group received the training based on conventional methods with the focus on handwriting and the use of some games and templates. The experimental group received training based on the use of digital devices, games, and some handwriting assignments. Pre- and post-tests were also conducted.
The intervention included applications aimed at improving handwriting, sentence writing, and spelling. Wohlwend and Buchholz (2014) state that paper-based games are very effective for the development of writing skills and young learners’ creativity. Therefore, a combination of paper- and digital-based games were included in the intervention. To motivate the participants to be more active, different variants of digital games were turned into paper-based assignments. For instance, an application aimed at improving sentence building skills was developed into a paper-based game. Students did puzzles and created puzzles for their peers.
As to the samples, the major independent variables were gender and age their age as boys between 7-8 years were included in the study. Students’ socioeconomic status, ethnicity, prior academic performance, attendance, or other peculiarities were not taken into account. Six students were randomly chosen based on the school lists. The participants were also randomly divided into the control and experimental groups. All the necessary permissions (from the children’s parents, school administration) were received. The participants whether they wanted to receive additional classes and all of the chosen samples agreed.
Evaluation Criteria and Methods
The primary areas of concern in this study are sentence building, handwriting, and spelling. The skills mentioned above are crucial for the development of effective writing skills necessary for students’ further academic success (Chamberlain & Kerrigan-Draper 2016). These criteria were central to the evaluation of the intervention’s effectiveness. The pre- and post-tests were developed with these areas in mind. At the same time, it is also important to understand the participants’ attitudes towards the intervention as their opinion scan affect their motivation and, as a result, their performance. Therefore, short interviews were implemented at the end of the intervention. The participants shared their views concerning the intervention, particular tasks, as well as their satisfaction or some commentaries, and so forth.
Outcomes
The participants in both groups improved their writing skills as their post-test results show. These findings suggest that additional training can be regarded as an option for the improvement of students’ performance across the country. However, the participants in the experimental group still performed better in the tests as compared to their peers in the control group. As it could be expected, the participants in the experimental group had a more positive attitude towards the intervention that was regarded as appealing. Learners are likely to benefit from the suggested training method as the participants were active during the sessions. The learners liked the games and interaction. During the interviews, they noted that they loved making new things and creating tasks for their peers. The participants in the control group had quite neutral feelings as to the intervention as they saw it as a certain kind of extension of their ordinary classes.
It is important to mention some limitations of this study. First, the sample size is very small, which makes the results hardly generalisable. Moreover, all the participants study at the same school, which also adds certain bias. Secondly, the duration of the intervention is very short, so it is hard to evaluate its effectiveness properly. Thirdly, the qualitative aspect of the study can be difficult to implement with a larger sample. It can be necessary to change interviews to a survey as the latter is less time-consuming.
Conclusions and Further Research
In conclusion, it is important to note that the suggested intervention can be regarded as effective since the participants’ writing skills improved. One of the reasons for such results can be the use of digital devices and games that made students more engaged. However, the students in the control group also improved their performance in writing. It is possible to conclude that the application of technology can facilitate learners’ motivation and help them develop new knowledge and skills.
Clearly, further research is essential in order to make sure that the intervention can be utilised in other schools. New studies should include more participants, and the intervention should last for several months. It is important to address such areas as the program’s cost-effectiveness as well. Many educational establishments have limited resources, so it is necessary to make the intervention affordable. It is clear that the use of technology is becoming an indispensable part of people’s lives, so it is but natural to integrate it into the educational sphere more effectively. At that, more traditional strategies should also be employed due to their effectiveness and thoroughness. A combination of two approaches can help students to achieve their academic goals and become active members of the society in their adulthood.
Reference List
Chamberlain, L & Kerrigan-Draper, E 2016, Inspiring writing in primary schools, Learning Matters, London.
Houser, RA 2014, Counseling and educational research: evaluation and application, SAGE Publications, London.
Manchester Road Primary Academy2017. Web.
Neumann, M 2018, ‘Using tablets and apps to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children’, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 239-246.
Ofsted 2017, Manchester Road Primary Academy. Web.
Wohlwend, KE & Buchholz, BA 2014, ‘Paper pterodactyls and popsicle sticks: expanding school literacy through filmmaking and toymaking’, in C Burnett et al. (eds), New literacies around the globe: policy and pedagogy, Routledge, New York, NY, pp. 33-50.
Wollscheid, S, Sjaastad, J & Tømte, C 2016, ‘The impact of digital devices vs. pen(cil) and paper on primary school students’ writing skills – a research review’, Computers & Education, vol. 95, pp. 19-35.