[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Handwriting Fluency Requires Accurate and Proper Mastery"

The term "fluent" refers to the ability to speak or read smoothly and without hesitation, as if words are flowing like water. Fluency, derived from this concept, is a type of creativity that refers to the ability to generate a wide range of perspectives or solutions both accurately and abundantly.

Jang Dongmin, a teacher at Jeonju Samcheonnam Elementary School, published a paper in 2021 in the journal of the Korean Society for Elementary Korean Language Education (Korean Elementary Korean Language Education) titled "An Analysis of the Correlation between Elementary School Students' Handwriting Fluency, Writing Ability, and Writing Attitude." The author conducted research on 42 students, one class each from the 2nd and 3rd grades in elementary schools in Seoul and Incheon. The study included: ▲ a writing attitude test (25 items, 30 minutes), ▲ a handwriting fluency test (using a smart pen, conducted simultaneously with two students, 30 minutes), and ▲ a writing assignment (writing about something that happened last week, 30 minutes).

The handwriting fluency test measured the number of correctly written characters in one minute. This study utilized the smart pen's automatic recording function for the handwriting process. The smart pen's digital automatic recording device enabled temporal and spatial tracking of the handwriting process, allowing confirmation of the student's stroke order when writing characters. When analyzing handwriting fluency, it was found that students wrote an average of 27.1 characters per minute. Among the 3rd graders, the student who wrote the most correctly wrote 38 characters, while the student with the lowest count wrote 13 characters. Among the 2nd graders, the highest was 29 characters and the lowest was 14 characters.

By grade, 3rd graders wrote an average of 31.23 characters (standard deviation: 7.86), while 2nd graders wrote an average of 22.55 characters (standard deviation: 5.12). Up to the 2nd grade, a higher proportion of students remain at the stage of handwriting and spelling. For this reason, compared to 3rd graders, 2nd graders demonstrated lower handwriting fluency, as the automation of writing had not yet been achieved.

Looking at the results for writing attitude, the overall average was 3.13 points (on a 5-point scale). Among the four factors of the writing attitude assessment tool (self-efficacy, self-expression and sharing, recognition of importance, preference), recognition of the importance of writing (average: 3.48) was the highest, while preference (average: 2.93) was the lowest. This suggests that while students recognize the importance of writing, they do not necessarily prefer it to the same degree.

The author stated, "Due to the automation of handwriting, students with higher fluency are naturally more likely to enjoy writing. This aligns with previous studies that have predicted a positive impact on writing attitude." He added, "Students who have not yet automated their handwriting need to exert effort just to write characters, which seems to undermine their confidence in writing." Students with low handwriting fluency tend to avoid writing altogether. This negatively affects their writing ability and leads to a vicious cycle of further avoidance of writing. There is a possibility that this could result in the Matthew effect, where the gap between the proficient and the less proficient widens.

The author emphasized, "For handwriting fluency, it is important to master and automate the skill of writing characters accurately and properly." He continued, "Teachers in lower grades should be aware of the level of handwriting fluency among the students they are responsible for. Forcing students with low fluency to write unconditionally can negatively affect their writing attitude." He further suggested, "For students lacking fluency, teachers should provide writing tasks that include drawing or allow sufficient time so that students can fully express their thoughts in writing. When evaluating writing, teachers should also give positive feedback to prevent students from distancing themselves from writing."