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The importance of handwriting for students

Updated: Apr 15, 2023




Handwriting is an essential skill that has been used for thousands of years, and it continues to play a critical role in academic achievements, remembering, comprehending, and creativity. With the rise of digital communication, the importance of handwriting has been somewhat overlooked, but it remains a fundamental skill that should not be disregarded. In this essay, we will explore the importance of handwriting in academic achievements, remembering, comprehending, and creativity by citing studies that have been conducted on the subject.

One of the essential benefits of handwriting is its role in academic achievement. According to a study by Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington, handwriting is crucial to cognitive development and academic success. The study found that handwriting is an essential tool for students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, which are necessary for academic success. The study also found that students who wrote by hand had a more extensive vocabulary and were more likely to remember information.


Furthermore, handwriting has been shown to improve memory retention and recall. In a study by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer, they found that students who took notes by hand retained more information than those who used a computer to take notes. The study found that writing notes by hand allowed students to process and summarize the information they were learning, resulting in a deeper understanding and better recall of the material.


Handwriting also plays a critical role in comprehension. A study by Jean-Luc Velay, a neuroscientist at the University of Marseille, found that handwriting activates a different part of the brain than typing on a keyboard. When writing by hand, the brain must create a mental image of each letter, which helps to develop and improve comprehension skills. This process is not the same when typing on a keyboard, as the brain does not need to create a mental image of each letter, resulting in less cognitive engagement.

Finally, handwriting has been shown to enhance creativity. According to a study by Karin James, an associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Indiana University, handwriting can improve creativity and idea generation. The study found that when children wrote letters by hand, they engaged in more extensive and complex ideas, resulting in more creative and imaginative writing.

In conclusion, the importance of handwriting cannot be overlooked in academic achievements, remembering, comprehending, and creativity. Handwriting plays a critical role in cognitive development and academic success, memory retention and recall, comprehension, and creativity. With the rise of digital communication, it is essential to continue to develop and maintain handwriting skills to reap these benefits. Therefore, it is essential to prioritize handwriting in education and daily life.


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