Comparison of Differently Lined Paper on Letter Production Quality in First Graders

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine handwriting production of first grade students using differently lined paper. Two groups of first grade students were assessed with the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment. The first group printed on a four-lined writing grid that included top, middle, base, and descender guidelines. The second group printed on double lined paper that provided middle and base guidelines only. There was no difference between groups for legibility, form, alignment, and space as measured by the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment. There was a statistical difference noted between the two groups for size, t(63) = -4.629, p < .001. Examination of sizing errors showed that 55% of the students in the double-lined paper group used the middle guideline as a top guideline. The results suggest that for first grade students, the number of lines on writing paper has no effect on letter legibility but can influence size. Writing paper that has both a top and a bottom guideline may be optimal for first grade students for ensuring proper letter size when printing.

An examination of the effectiveness of Handwriting Without Tears® instruction

“…These improvements may be related to specific HWT features: spacing in the “Learn and Check” feature where sentences are checked for word spacing; alignment in the use of the double line HWT paper with the bottom line keeping the writing straight, and in the specific verbal instructions (e.g., “bump the lines”); and size in the placement of the main part of the letter within double lines (Olsen, 2013). Research has indicated issues with the double-lined paper for size of letters and in carryover to typical workbooks (Benson et al, 2012; Reidlinger, Candler, & Neville, 2012). In our study, when following instruction using the HWT double-lined paper, significant improvements in size were noted using the interlined paper of the MHA, indicating that Grade 1 students were able to generalize this learning.…”