Honors Theses
Date of Award
Winter 12-9-2023
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Communication Sciences and Disorders
First Advisor
Vishakha Rawool
Second Advisor
Hyejin Park
Third Advisor
Ann Monroe
Relational Format
Thesis
Abstract
The requirement of cursive writing has become debatable since the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, which sets academic expectations in the areas of English Language Arts and Mathematics from Kindergarten through Grade 12. In the Common Core State Standards, the requirement of cursive writing was omitted, but some states have passed bills to teach cursive believing that the skill is beneficial. This study evaluated the experience of learning how to read and write in print and cursive and its effect on reading.
213 participants ranging from 18 to 40 years of age participated in the research. One hundred sixty-five participants identified as female, 41 identified as male, and five identified as non-binary/third gender. Of the respondents, 138 indicated they were required to learn cursive in their school, 60 did not have to learn cursive, and the remaining 15 individuals did not respond to the related question.
Participants completed a 24-question online, anonymous survey covering demographic information, language background, self-reported reading and writing abilities, personal experiences, and opinions about cursive writing.
Descriptive Statistics were used to summarize data collected using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and other types of questions. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to explore differences in the data among the requirement of cursive writing requirements. Furthermore, Related-Samples Friedman's Two-Way Analysis of Variance by Ranks was utilized to investigate potential significant variations.
The study found that the requirement of learning cursive did not significantly affect reported abilities in reading print, writing print, or communication but did improve reading and writing cursive skills. There was no indication to suggest that learning cursive has a significant impact on improving reading efficiency, reading speed, or reading accuracy; there was indication that individuals required to learn cursive may have increased confidence in their reading skills.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Alexa, "The Impact of Cursive Writing Requirement on Reading: A Survey of Young Adults" (2023). Honors Theses. 3107.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/3107