Handwriting Practice: The Effects of Perceptual Prompts

Kindergarten and third grade subjects were given copying practice employing different perceptual prompts in learning to reproduce model letterlike forms. Conditions included visual demonstration of stroke sequence; visual and verbal demonstration of stroke sequence; visual and verbal demonstrations, and subjects’ verbalization of stroke sequence; copying practice with no prompts; and control. A model form reproduction test was administered to all groups. Analysis of statistical tests revealed that groups trained with perceptual prompts produced significantly more accurate reproductions, with subjects’ verbalization of stroke sequence being the superior treatment.