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The Effects of Number and Separation of Support Lines on the Size, Velocity, and Smoothness of Handwriting

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

We examined the effects of number of and separation between support lines on handwriting characteristics of primary school students with satisfactory and unsatisfactory handwriting. Students (mean age 7.9 years) copied a text on paper with a baseline and with two or four support lines with a separation of 3 or 4 mm between the central lines. Handwriting size, velocity, and smoothness were determined for the four conditions relative to baseline. Children with unsatisfactory handwriting wrote larger and had more lifts during baseline condition. Writing between support lines, especially with small separation, immediately reduced the size of handwriting, but also adversely affected velocity and smoothness. Future research is needed to assess long-term effects.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)317-333
Number of pages17
JournalMotor control
Volume26
Issue number3
Early online date1 Apr 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2022

Funding

The authors thank all the children and teachers who participated in our research for their time and enthusiasm. A special thanks to Hildo Bijl and Kees Goossen for their help with Matlab. This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of the Faculty of Human Movement Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (Protocol 2010-36).

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

  1. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education

Keywords

  • children
  • constrain-led approach
  • education
  • pediatrics

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