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Enhancing Grade 4 Cursive Skills

This document presents an action research proposal that aims to enhance the cursive handwriting skills of Grade 4 learners through tracing words and other handwriting practices. It will conduct a pre-assessment of learners' skills, implement interventions like tracing activities and worksheets, and do a post-assessment to compare results. The research questions ask about difficulties in handwriting, possible interventions, and difference between pre-and post-assessment. It details the participants, data collection through descriptive methods, analysis using statistics, work plan from January to April 2023, estimated PHP 1200 budget, and plan to disseminate results online for other teachers.

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Pink January Martin
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78 views5 pages

Enhancing Grade 4 Cursive Skills

This document presents an action research proposal that aims to enhance the cursive handwriting skills of Grade 4 learners through tracing words and other handwriting practices. It will conduct a pre-assessment of learners' skills, implement interventions like tracing activities and worksheets, and do a post-assessment to compare results. The research questions ask about difficulties in handwriting, possible interventions, and difference between pre-and post-assessment. It details the participants, data collection through descriptive methods, analysis using statistics, work plan from January to April 2023, estimated PHP 1200 budget, and plan to disseminate results online for other teachers.

Uploaded by

Pink January Martin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


Municipal Government of Talavera
Off- Campus Program
Talavera, Nueva Ecija

The Intervention of Tracing Words and Other Handwriting Practices in the


Enhancement of Grade 4 Learners’ Cursive Handwriting Skills

An Action Research Proposal


Presented To the Faculty Of
Bachelor of Elementary Education
Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology
Municipal Government of Talavera

Submitted by:
Michelle V. Abrogena
Donna Fe J. Mariano
Pink January L. Martin
Erlinda L. Mutya
Joyvee Pascual
Shella J. Soriano

DINARAYAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

December 2022
Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Municipal Government of Talavera
Off- Campus Program
Talavera, Nueva Ecija

I. Context and Rationale

While learners are still young, the must be taught the basics they need to know in order to
keep up into our changing world. One of the things that the learners should learn is to write in
cursive writing in order to read cursive words. According to Vocabulary, cursive is a style of
writing in which all the letters in a word are connected. It is also known as script or longhand.
Cursive writing may not be necessary to some because of the emerging computers and modern
gadgets which become their primary source of writing but without teaching and learning the
basics would make the learners miss a lot of opportunity they need to learn. Even in the era of
modern technology especially computers, we can't deny the fact that handwriting is still essential
skill for communication and motor skill learning. When not taught, they will be deprived of
things that they could get just because they can’t understand cursive written words.

Students were given lessons in writing continued letters or cursive writing are (1) cursive
writing makes it easy for students to recognize words as a whole, (2) Cursive writing does not
make students' writing reversed, (3) Cursive writing connects faster because there is no stop
motion for each letter (Abdurahman, 1999). Cursive writing is an activity that requires patience
and accuracy. This is beneficial to the brain development of students, especially early grade
students. Writing upright has several benefits for student development. Here are some of the
benefits of cursive writing. The benefits that can be obtained from cursive writing activities
according to Wang Muba (Rufaida, 2010) are: (1) stimulating the work of the brain to be more
creative, (2) writing faster, (3) producing more beautiful and neat writing, and ( 4) sharpening the
artistic power of students.

Teaching cursive writing is a long way process, teachers need to have a lot of patience and
diligence in order to effectively teach the learners on cursive handwriting. According to
Tompkins (1995) cursive writing can be taught through three stages, including: (a) handwriting
before first grade (handwriting before first grade), (b) handwriting in the early grade
(handwriting in the primary grade), and ( c) handwriting in advanced classes (handwriting in the
middle and upper grades). The stages of the cursive writing, like the following: (a) students are
taught how to write the cursive form, (b) students are taught how to write words using cursive
letter font, and (c) students are trained to write sentences using cursive letter. So, the cursive
Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Municipal Government of Talavera
Off- Campus Program
Talavera, Nueva Ecija

writing stage starts from the beginning of first grade in elementary school. Before students are
trained to write free letters, students are trained first by fine motor skills through drawing or
forming letters using plasticine. Furthermore, in the early classes, students learn to write
alphabetic letters first and then proceed with how to write cursive letters and how to sequence
them (Bahtiar, 2019).

Researches show the importance of cursive handwriting in order to develop the learners’
fluency, compositional complexity. Handwriting practice wires the brain for reading and writing
success and contributes to reading fluency (Berninger, 2013; Gentry, 2016; Healy, 1994, 1999;
Hopkins, 2016). The motor areas of the brain that are simultaneously activated while engaged in
reading and writing activities are clearly evident (Alonso, 2015; Trond, 2011). Writing and
reading go hand in hand, and they share common characteristics such as providing feedback and
encouraging higher order thinking skills (Emig, 1977; Flower & Hayes, 1981; Medwell & Wray,
2007; Vygotsky & Kozulin, 1986).

In order to enhance the learners’ cursive handwriting skills, tracing words, activities,
worksheets and handwriting practices will be used in order to get a reliable assessment and
development on the learners’ cursive handwriting skills. Also, a Pre and Post test will be
conducted in order to assess their development and the results of Pre and Post Test will be
compared to show the learners development progress on their cursive handwriting skills.

II. Action Research Questions

This research entitled “The Intervention of Tracing Words and Other Handwriting
Practices in the Enhancement of Grade 4 Learners’ Cursive Handwriting Skills” seeks to
enhance the cursive handwriting skills of learners. Specifically, it seeks to answer the
following:

1. What are the difficulties encountered by students in cursive handwriting?


2. What are the possible interventions in their difficulties?
3. What is the significant difference of pre and post assessment of learners in cursive
handwriting?
Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Municipal Government of Talavera
Off- Campus Program
Talavera, Nueva Ecija

III. Proposed Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy


A pre-assessment on cursive hand-writing will be conducted and their written
output will be rated using rubrics in order to clearly and fairly assess the learners’
skill in cursive handwriting. The intervention of tracing words, activities, worksheets
and handwriting practices will be used in order to get a reliable assessment and
development on the learners’ cursive handwriting skills. Then post-assessment will be
conducted and will be rated using rubrics to see the development of their cursive
writing and the results of Pre and Post Test will be compared to show the learners
development progress on their cursive handwriting skills.

IV. Action Research Method


a. Participants and/or Other Sources of Data and Information
The participants are the 26 learners of Grade 4- Rizal in Dinarayat
Elementary school.

b. Data Gathering Methods


This action research will use descriptive method of research to describe
the learners writing skills in cursive way and assess their ability to write legibly in
cursive handwriting.

c. Data Analysis Plan


The data to be gathered will be analyzed using frequency and mean, and
T-Test to determine the significant difference of pre and post assessment of
learners in cursive handwriting.

V. Action research Work Plan and Timelines


Goal: to enhance the cursive handwriting skills of Grade 4 learners through the
intervention of tracing words and other handwriting practices.
Objective: to recommend tracing words and other handwriting practices as an
intervention to the improvement of the learners’ cursive handwriting skills.
Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Municipal Government of Talavera
Off- Campus Program
Talavera, Nueva Ecija

Implementation Responsibilities Resources Timeline


Pre-assessment Researcher Researchers’ fund 01/09/2023-
01/16/2023
Intervention Researcher Researchers’ fund 01/30/2023- 03/
20/2023
Post-assessment Researcher Researchers’ fund 03/27/2023-
04/06/2023

VI. Cost Estimation


The total cost of estimation will be around PHP 1200 for the bond papers, pens,
printing and travel expenses.

VII. Plan for Dissemination/ Advocacy


The results will be disseminated online for teacher-researchers to implement this
kind of intervention to their classroom too.
VIII. References
E. Duran (2019) Elimination of Writing Difficulty in Primary School: An Action
Research. Retrieved from [Link]
JK. Vail (1993) The Effect of Systematic Cursive Instruction on the Length of
Writing Samples. Retrieved from
[Link]
article=1841&context=masters_theses
TD. Ryff (2018) The use of Cursive Writing in a Digital Age. Retried from
[Link]
R. Bahtiar (2019) The Implementation of Giving Example Technique in Cursive
Handwriting Books to Improve the Elementary School Students’ Cursive
Handwriting Ability. Retrieved from
[Link]
%20of%20Giving%20Example%20Technique%20in%[Link]

Common questions

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Teacher diligence and patience are paramount in teaching cursive writing, as they ensure persistent, tailored instruction suited to varying learner needs. Successful cursive education requires a patient approach to overcome individual challenges, administer effective interventions, and foster an environment conducive to skill acquisition and refinement .

Cursive handwriting benefits brain development by stimulating areas involved in creativity and motor skills, enhancing artistic abilities, and speeding up writing processes. Research shows that handwriting practices link directly to brain activities that enhance cognitive skills required for reading and writing, promoting fluency and complex compositional abilities .

The main challenges identified in learning cursive handwriting include difficulties in letter connections, maintaining writing speed, and ensuring legibility. The action research aims to address these through interventions like tracing, worksheets, and handwriting practices .

The study uses pre-assessment and post-assessment with rubrics to evaluate cursive handwriting skills. The methodology includes tracing, worksheets, and handwriting practices as interventions. Data analysis involves using frequency, mean, and T-Test to identify significant differences in skills before and after the interventions .

Neglecting cursive handwriting education exacerbates the risk of cognitive and motor development delays, limiting opportunities for students to fully comprehend written materials in cursive and stifle creative and artistic growth. This omission can result in deficits in fluency and comprehension that impact broader educational outcomes .

Proposed interventions include tracing words, activities, worksheets, and handwriting practices, aimed at overcoming challenges such as letter connection and writing fluidity. These interventions are expected to enhance recognition of words, prevent reversals in writing, and improve word connection speeds, supporting cognitive and motor skill development .

Cursive handwriting is taught through three stages: (a) handwriting before first grade, focusing on fine motor skills through drawing and letter formation with plasticine; (b) handwriting in early grades, teaching alphabetic letters and cursive connections; and (c) advanced classes, where students learn to write words and sentences in cursive .

Using pre and post-assessment methods is significant as it provides measurable insights into the effectiveness of interventions by highlighting the progression of learners’ skills. Comparing these assessments allows educators to identify meaningful changes in writing fluency and accuracy, facilitating targeted improvements in education strategies .

Cursive handwriting plays a significant role in the cognitive and motor development of early grade students by stimulating brain activity for creativity, enhancing speed and artistic skill, and improving fine motor skills which are fundamental for reading and writing success. Handwriting practice activates motor areas of the brain associated with reading and writing activities, contributing to reading fluency and higher order thinking skills .

While technology increasingly becomes the primary tool for writing, cursive handwriting remains crucial for brain development and motor skills. Despite digital trends, cursive writing is still vital for understanding cursive scripts and enhancing cognitive skills necessary for reading and writing fluency .

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