Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Division of Tandag City
TANDAG CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Tandag City, Surigao del
Sur
School I.D: 132978
ACTION RESEARCH PROPOSAL
CURSIVE WRITING DIFFICULTY OF GRADES III-VI IDENTIFIED
LEARNERS AT TANDAG CENTRAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
I. PROPONENT:
MARILOU S. SARANZA- PRINCIPAL II, BB. NICOLASITA J. PAHIT -TEACHER
1, and PERMEL Q. TECSON -LSB TEACHER
Email add: marilouzaranza002@[Link]
bbnicolasita.pahit001@[Link]
tecsonpermel3@[Link]
Contact #: 09488861821
09518794530
09121583934
II. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY:
One of the most important educational occupations for children is handwriting.
According to studies, when teachers were given a paper to evaluate, students with better
handwriting received higher grades. Writing encompasses all of an individual's knowledge,
skills, and experience; it is a skill in which mental processes are used (Walker, Shippen, Alberto,
Houchins, and Cihak, 2005).
Cursive is a type of penmanship in which the letters are connected. Cursive writing is
always connected and looped, allowing the writer to make fluid pencil-to-paper connections.
Cursive writing difficulty has long been a persistent and widespread issue among students. This
can be approached by learning to form each letter starting from the bottom line so that cursive
writing naturally and often seamlessly progresses. The study's gap is that some researchers
conducted a study on Cursive Handwriting skills in Grades III students, in which all students
need to be taught how to improve their writing (Sempiao, 2016). On the other hand, the
researchers have a different study because it is focused on grade III-VI identified pupils, and that
grade level, must already know how to write cursive, but the researchers see that 86 pupils from
grade III-VI identified learners need assistance because if they write it in cursive, their sentences
cannot be understood by the readers. That is why there is a need to conduct this study.
This action research project aims to assist Grades III-VI identified pupils to become
better cursive writers. The ability of students to use their cursive writing skills fluently for
effective communication is crucial. The fluid motion used when writing script improves hand-
eye coordination and fosters the development of fine motor skills, (Bateman, 2014). Children
should initially learn to write in print or cursive because it is so vital. It improves cognitive
abilities such as reading and writing.
We found that other students struggle with cursive writing. Instead of playing, we
encouraged the students to practice cursive writing at home and in their free time. Additionally,
the researchers offer remedial education to the students during recess by providing them with
worksheets to complete and highlighting the value of cursive writing.
The research on the contribution of handwriting to children's writing development was
examined by Graham and Harris (2019). Especially handwriting fluency (the amount of text that
can be written down properly per minute), which grows with age and education, individual
differences in handwriting abilities (most notably handwriting fluency) predict how much and
how effectively children will write. This is consistent with the idea that handwriting training is a
crucial component in the development of writing. These results highlight the significance of
motor programs in fostering the growth of writing abilities in primary school students.
Numerous research on writing speed has found that automating some handwriting tasks
might free up pupils' cognitive resources for more difficult tasks like orthographic correctness.
The intervention group outperformed the control group in both the orthographic ability and text-
basic units, demonstrating the validity of the earlier assertion. These results are consistent with
the literature in that they show that developing more fluid writing and graph-motor skills in the
first stages of learning to write helps students achieve higher levels of accuracy for orthographic
elements. The information on writing fluency is the most intriguing outcome of cursive
handwriting instruction.
According to Hudson (1999). Lefties are another practical difficulty. The left wrist
looping around while the youngster writes is the most typical issue, which can be uncomfortable
and result in bad handwriting when students can focus on their compositions rather than
considering that they write by hand, perhaps their writings will show more logical thought
processes, and mechanical elements are more likely. to be present.
The researchers find teaching cursive writing to be challenging, but with regular practice,
persistence, and diverse teaching methods, we observe that the students who struggle with
cursive writing are becoming better. This study tries to determine why they struggle with cursive
writing abilities.
III. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
1. What are the factors that contribute to cursive writing difficulties in the grades three to six
class?
2. How parent guide and assist their children in their cursive writing?
3. What are innovations and intervention strategies that the teachers would use to help those
pupils who have struggles in cursive writing?
4. How to integrate those innovations and interventions with learners with cursive writing
difficulties?
IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY:
Cursive Writing Remediation. It makes sure that pupils have a strong foundation upon
which to build their cursive writing abilities. Because of this, we held a writing remedial lesson
during recess for the selected Grade III pupils.
Worksheets Resources. We will provide the worksheets for the students to do the task at
home, then the researchers will check the output of the said pupils.
Build rapport with the parents and pupils through face-to-face communication. We
will extend extra efforts to those pupils who are struggling to write in a cursive way and
communicate with the parents about the writing performance of their children.
Motivate pupils by giving extra points and rewards. Positive reinforcement of progress is
crucial for maintaining pupils’ motivation. Then, to demonstrate the pupils' abilities, we will
give award extra points and treats. When they feel successful and can see their progress, they are
considerably more motivated to keep trying.
V. SCOPE OF THE STUDY:
The participants of the study will be eighty-six (86) pupils of the Grades III-VI identified
class of Tandag Central Elementary School. Students play a major role in this study, because of
them the researchers can gather data on their difficulty in cursive writing. In the selection of
participants among the Grade III-VI identified class, the following criteria shall be adopted: (a) a
student must be an officially enrolled student in Grade III-VI class (b) a student who experienced
difficulty in cursive writing (c) a student who has a willingness to participate in the study.
VI. RESEARCH DESIGN:
The researchers will use the descriptive research design to analyze and assess the data to
ascertain the extent to which the students struggled with writing cursive before and after the
intervention. There was a pre-test and a post-test employed. The school head teacher will be
consulted over the researchers' request to conduct the study. Eighty-six from grades III-VI
identified pupils receive worksheets from the researchers, who also explained that they must
complete the worksheets at home with help from their parents or other family members. It will
aid students in improving their writing abilities.
The researchers also attracted the attention of the parents by requesting their consent to
conduct a remedial writing skills program, after which the writing intervention was implemented
with the support of the parents, the Grade III-VI classroom advisers, and the school principal.
The researchers will use a tracing tool for both capital and small letters. Writing abilities not
only provide a significant benefit to interpersonal communication but also allow people to learn
(Belet and Yaşar, 2007). Individuals who improve their writing abilities can learn to control their
thinking abilities and make learning more effective and long-lasting (Raimes, Eryaman, 2008;
1983). As a result, writing skills can be demonstrated as one of the ongoing learning factors.
In this study, cursive writing remediation will be conducted every recess and class time
in all subjects from Monday morning to Friday morning. To ensure the mastery of writing
cursive. It will be done during traditional face-to-face classes. The researchers use worksheets
and check their outputs during recess time. The pupils will be also instructed to ask for
assistance or help from family members.
VII. WORK AND FINACIAL PLAN:
This study will focus on the difficulty of cursive writing for Grades III-VI-identified
pupils at Tandag Central Elementary School. This study aims to reach out to pupils who have
cursive writing difficulties. The researchers will conduct an experimental action research study
using a quasi-experimental design with pre-and post-tests. The participants of the study will be
eighty-six (86) pupils from the Grades III-VI class of Tandag Central Elementary School.
The researchers also called the parents' attention by asking for their permission to do
remedial writing skills, followed by the implementation of the writing intervention with the
approval of the school head, the Grades III-VI classroom advisers, and the parents. The
researchers will use tracing letters. Writing abilities not only provide a significant benefit to
interpersonal communication but also allow people to learn (Belet and Yaşar, 2007). Our
proposed innovation and intervention are cursive writing remedial, worksheet resources, building
a good rapport with the parents through face-to-face communication, and motivating pupils
through extra points and rewards.
Cost Estimate
Expected Expenses Amount
3-ream bond paper 750.00
Pre-test and post-test printing (Printer) 15,000.00
Laminating machine 10,000.00
Ink 1,500.00
Rewards Expenses 500.00
Internet Expense (Voucher) 1,200.00
TOTAL EXPENSES 28,950.00
Action researchers will present their findings to the Department of Education, the
Elementary Department principal, and the Grade III-VI class advisers by printing out the entire
research manuscript.
References
Kampitan, J. (2019). Improving the Cursive Handwriting Skills of Grade III
Pupils. Ascendens Asia Journal of Multidisciplinary Research Abstracts, 3(2G).
Duran, E., & Karatas, A. (2019). Elimination of Writing Difficulty in Primary School: An
Action Research. International Journal of Progressive Education, 15(5), 288-300.
Semeraro, C., Coppola, G., Cassibba, R., & Lucangeli, D. (2019). Teaching of cursive
writing in the first year of primary school: Effect on reading and writing skills.
PLOS ONE, 14(2), e0209978. [Link]
Mandalaki, E., & Daou, E. (2021). (Dis) embodied encounters between art and
academic writing amid a pandemic. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, 227-
242.
Long, H. H., & Mayer, W. C. (1931). Printing versus cursive writing in the beginning
reading instruction. The Journal of Educational Research, 24(5), 350-364.
Sempiao M. (2016) PIG AND CURSIVE WRITING OF GRADE II PUPILS – Tibungco District (
[Link])
Supon, V. (2009). Cursive writing: are its last days approaching?. Journal of
Instructional Psychology, 36(4)
Submitted by:
Marilou S. Saranza
[Link] J. Pahit
Permel Q. Tecson
Reviewed by:
MA. TERERA O. AJOS, EdD CAROLINA M. ROGERO, [Link]
SEPS Division Research Coordinator
Recommending Approval:
JEANETTE R. ISIDRO, EdD
Chief, CID