title: Comparison of cursive handwriting instruction programs among students without identified problems.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of cursive handwriting programs in improving letter legibility and form in third-grade students without identified handwriting problems. Four months into the school year, cursive handwriting was assessed for a sample of convenience of 50 third-grade students. Subsequently, students received instruction for 10-15 minutes daily for 6 weeks using either Handwriting without Tears, Loops and Other Groups programs, or, as a control condition, continued instruction in the Zaner-Bloser program. Student handwriting for all programs improved from pretest to posttest. Posttest comparisons indicated no significant differences between programs. The results suggest that the method of handwriting instruction has a limited short-term impact on cursive letter legibility and form for children without handwriting problems.
authors.affiliation: Blue Springs School District, Blue Springs, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimel
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Candler
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neville-Smith
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003479:Curriculum / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*; D012016:Reference Values; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis