The power of writing hands : logical memory performance after handwriting and typing tasks with Wechsler Memory Scale revised edition

Information and communications technologies have generated a multilevel metamorphose not only of the educational field, but also of the usage of hands. The shift from handwriting to typing is bringing about a change in the ways people learn to recognize and recollect letters and words, read and write. This study investigates how different writing methods affect memory retrieval. The aim is to understand how the memory performances compare after handwriting and typing tasks, and how the factor of time or age affects recollection. The Wechsler Memory Scale Revised Edition (WMS-R) was used with experimental within-subjects research design to measure memory functions of 31 University of Lapland students in 2016. Participants wrote down a dictated story with a pencil, computer keyboard, and a touch screen keyboard. Consequently, the degree of recollection of each writing task was measured and analysed with repeated measures analysis of variance. Additionally, this thesis deliberates the embodied cognition theory, as learning and memorizing are not simply information processing in nothingness. Experiences, actions and senses all play part in learning, as well as in writing process with the harmonious co-operation of brain, mind and body. The results of this study indicate that writing modalities have statistically significant effect on recollection, handwriting receiving the highest scores. These results are of interest due to the constant increase of digitalization of learning environments. Moreover, these results can be reflected upon when evaluating the impending changes in the Finnish curriculum, from which cursive handwriting is removed in autumn 2016

Write to Recall – An Embodied Knowledge Construction Model of Affects in Writing

Writing skills and practices are constantly evolving due to the digitalisation of working, learning and living environments. This thesis presents new information regarding different writing modalities and recollections of written texts among different age groups: children, adolescents and adults. More specifically, the thesis investigates three writing modalities: (1) handwriting, (2) keyboarding on a computer or laptop, and (3) keyboarding on a touchscreen keyboard of an iPad or mobile phone. The thesis examines whether these writing modalities affect the recollection of stories and determines the latent affects influencing knowledge construction in writing. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to understand the effects of the writing process and consequent knowledge construction. This research followed a cyclical educational design research (EDR) approach (McKenney & Reeves, 2018) whose principles and interventions are based on the actual needs of schools. These principles and interventions materialised in this study via the development of a theoretical model, study design and test battery for evaluating the effect of any writing modality on a writer’s recollection and by generating new knowledge about the different age groups with respect to the three writing modalities and consequent recollection of written texts. The empirical experiments performed in this research followed an experimental within-subjects research design. Sub-study I served as the starting point for researching the effect of writing modality on the recollection of short stories among a sample of university students (N = 31). In this sub-study, the research design for the three writing modalities was created using testing material. The main findings of this study were that writing modality has a statistically significant effect on recollection and that students can recall handwritten stories statistically significantly better than stories typed on a computer keyboard or touchscreen. Sub-study II continued the investigation of the effect of writing modalities on recollection; this time, however, the age groups of participants differed: 10-11-yearold children (N = 92) and 16-year-old adolescents (N = 43). Refining the test battery for these age groups entailed three separate experiments. The findings indicated a statistically significant effect of writing modality on recollection among 16-yearold adolescents and 11-year-old children, with handwriting being the best-recalled writing modality compared to keyboarding on a laptop or touchscreen device. Sub-study III compiled knowledge acquired from both the empirical studies conducted in this research and from the relevant literature examined throughout the research process. This sub-study sought to design a theoretical model for understanding cognition and affect in writing. Hence, an embodied knowledge construction model of affects in writing was developed and empirically tested, generating valuable information that deepened our understanding of knowledge construction in writing and the issues that affect it. Data were collected from 172 participants. The principal empirical findings of sub-studies I and II were that writing modality has statistically significant effects on the consequent recollection of written texts starting from the age of 11, as these effects were not evident among 10-year-old children. In other words, for more experienced writers, the writing modality with which text is composed matters in terms of recollection. The development of the embodied knowledge construction model of affects in writing is the culmination of the empirical and theoretical knowledge acquired from the entire research process and thereby answers the overarching research question: What are the components of embodied knowledge construction in writing? As a primary outcome of this research, the model implies cooperation between body, mind and brain by considering the environmental, cultural and contextual factors underlying memory functions, which are affected by perception and action sequences, prior experiences, emotions and motivations. This thesis offers a test design and an embodied knowledge construction model for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of knowledge construction and affects in writing. The results of the research have several implications for scientific, cognitive and educational contexts and suggest future research directions and design principles. Importantly, this thesis provides several recommendations, including the systematic instruction of keyboarding, the balancing of writing instruction and practice from an early age for improving learning outcomes, and the improvement of keyboarding abilities among adolescents and adults so that they may function harmoniously in an increasingly digitised world.Kirjoitustaidot ja niihin liittyvät käytännöt muuttuvat ja kehittyvät jatkuvasti työelämän, koulutuksen ja elinympäristöjen digitalisoitumisen myötä. Tämä tutkimus tuotti uutta tietoa eri ikäryhmistä kirjoitusmenetelmiin ja kirjoitettujen tekstien muistamiseen liittyen (lapset, nuoret ja aikuiset). Erityisesti tämä tutkimus keskittyy kolmeen kirjoitusmenetelmään: 1) käsin kirjoittamiseen 2) tietokoneen tai kannettavan tietokoneen näppäimistöllä kirjoittamiseen ja 3) iPadin tai matkapuhelimen kosketusnäytön näppäimistöllä kirjoittamiseen. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitetään, onko eri kirjoitusmenetelmillä merkitystä muistamiseen liittyen tarinoita kirjoitettaessa. Samoin selvitetään, mitkä ovat taustalla olevia tiedonrakentamiseen vaikuttavia affekteja. Tässä tutkimuksessa käytettiin koulutuksellisen kehittämistutkimuksen, EDR, (McKenney & Reeves, 2018) lähestymistapaa, joka pohjautuu periaatteisiin, joissa ratkaisuja kehitetään sykleittäin koulumaailman todellisiin tarpeisiin. Nämä periaatteet konkretisoituvat tässä tutkimuksessa muun muassa teoreettisen mallin ja testimateriaalin kehittämisen avulla, joilla voidaan arvioida muistamista eri kirjoitusmenetelmien käytön jälkeen. Lisäksi tutkimus on tuottanut lisää uutta empiiristä tietoa kirjoitusmenetelmiin liittyen. Osatutkimusten tutkimusmenetelmänä käytettiin kokeellista tutkimusotetta. Ensimmäisessä osatutkimuksessa tutkitaan eri kirjoitusmenetelmien yhteyttä yliopisto-opiskelijoiden (N = 31) muistiin liittyen. Tässä artikkelissa luodaan tutkimusmalli kolmelle kirjoitusmuodolle yhdessä testimateriaalin kanssa. Ensimmäisen osatutkimuksen päätulos oli, että kirjoittamisen menetelmä vaikuttaa muistiin tilastollisesti merkitsevästi ja että yliopisto-opiskelijat muistavat käsinkirjoitetut tarinat tilastollisesti merkitsevästi paremmin kuin tietokoneen tai iPadin kosketusnäytön näppäimistöllä kirjoitetut tarinat. Toisessa osatutkimuksessa tutkitaan kirjoitusmenetelmien yhteyttä muistamiseen 10–11-vuotiailla lapsilla (N = 92) ja 16-vuotiailla nuorilla (N = 43). Testimateriaalin kohdentaminen ja muotoilu näille koululaisten ikäryhmille sisälsi kolme erillistä kokeilua. Tulokset osoittivat, että 16-vuotiailla nuorilla ja 11-vuotiailla lapsilla kirjoitusmenetelmällä oli tilastollisesti merkitsevä yhteys, jolloin käsinkirjoitetut tarinat muistettiin paremmin kuin tietokoneen näppäimistöllä tai kosketusnäppäimistöllä kirjoitetut tarinat. Kolmannessa osatutkimuksessa koko tutkimusprosessin aikana hankittu empiirinen ja teoreettinen tieto kulminoituu kehollisen tiedonrakentamisen mallin rakentamiseen kirjoittamisen affekteihin liittyen. Tässä osatutkimuksessa kootaan olemassa oleva tieto ja pyritään ymmärtämään kehollista tiedonrakentamista ja kirjoittamiseen yhteydessä olevia affekteja. Siten artikkeli esittelee kehollisen tiedonrakentamisen mallin, jota myös testataan empiirisesti 16-vuotiaiden nuorten koululaisten tutkimusjoukossa (N= 6). Mallin avulla saatiin syventävää tietoa kirjoittamisen ja siihen yhteydessä olevien tietojen rakentumisesta. Tutkimukseen osallistui yhteensä 172 lasta, nuorta ja aikuista. Keskeisin tutkimustulos osoitti, että kirjoitusmetodit vaikuttavat tilastollisesti merkitsevästi kirjoitettujen tekstien muistamiseen 11 vuoden iästä lähtien. Kiinnostavaa on, että 10-vuotiaiden lasten käyttämällä kirjoitusmenetelmällä ei ole vielä yhteyttä muistamiseen. Väitöskirjatutkimuksen keskeisin kysymys oli, millaisista osatekijöistä kehollinen tiedonrakentaminen kirjoittamisessa rakentuu? Tulokseksi saatiin ensinnäkin harmoninen ja samanaikainen kehon, mielen ja aivojen yhteistyö, joka piirtyy huomioimalla ympäristö-, kulttuuri- ja kontekstuaaliset tekijät. Lisäksi tässä yhteistyössä ovat tärkeässä asemassa muistitoiminnot, joihin vaikuttaa havainto ja toimintasekvenssi yhdessä aiempien kokemusten ja motivaation kanssa. Nämä yhdessä kiteytyvät kehollisen tiedonrakentamisen mallissa kirjoittamisen affekteihin liittyen. Toisena keskeisenä tuloksena syntyi testimateriaali sekä kvantitatiivisen ja kvalitatiivisen arvioinnin kehykset kirjoittamiseen liittyvään muistamisen tutkimiseen ja siihen vaikuttaviin tekijöihin. Tutkimustulosten perusteella voidaan tehdä johtopäätöksiä opetuskäytäntöihin, joihin suositellaan systemaattista näppäilytaitojen opetusta sekä eri kirjoitusmenetelmien tasapainoista harjoittelua. Kirjoituksen opetuskäytäntöjen ja kirjoitusmenetelmien tasapainottaminen jo varhaisessa vaiheessa on välttämätöntä oppimistulosten parantamiseksi. Samalla tulee muistaa tarve parantaa nuorten ja aikuisten näppäilytaitoja, jotta he pystyvät toimimaan vaivattomasti digitalisoituvassa maailmassa

Embodied Knowledge Construction inWriting

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A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF BRAZIL, FINLAND AND VIETNAM: SOFT SKILLS FOR ADULT EDUCATORS

This study contributes a unique standpoint with its comparative case analysis concerning educators' soft skills. The topic is compared among three countries: Brazil, Finland and Vietnam, representing three continents with different social, economic and cultural aspects. This comparative quantitative case study aimed to examine the different attitudes and soft skills of adult educators (n = 355) through an online survey in Brazil, Finland and Vietnam. The focus was on identifying the most important soft skills from the adult educators’ points of view and the differences concerning those skills among the three countries. The study offers practical recommendations for teachers and teacher education development by which to further develop educators’ skills, in response to skill preparation for students in the fast-changing study and working environment demands. This study concluded that Brazil, Finland and Vietnam differ considerably in their views on soft skills as based on the present analysis. The participants from Finland regarded the intrapersonal skills as most important, whereas, for the respondents from Brazil and Vietnam, the socioemotional skills were regarded as most important. Furthermore, participants from Brazil and Finland regarded the socioemotional skills statistically significantly more important than did the respondents from Vietnam. At the same time, the participants from Brazil regarded the interpersonal skills statistically significantly more important than did the respondents from Vietnam, but between Finland and Vietnam statistical difference was apparent only on some components of the interpersonal skills. There is still a need for further research regarding teachers and educators´ soft skills and the reasons behind the different views of their importance. Article visualizations

The effect of writing modality on recollection in children and adolescents

We set out to assess the extent to which writing modality affects recollection in children and adolescents. We examined 10- to 11-year-old children’s (N = 63) and 16-year-old adolescents’ (N = 43) handwriting, keyboarding with a laptop computer and keyboarding with a touchscreen tablet computer or mobile phone in a within-subjects experimental design. Participants were instructed to write down stories dictated to them in the three writing modalities. Recollection of the stories was assessed using free recall of details in the stories. The results indicate that the writing modality affects recollection, handwriting leading to better recollection. However, currently, digital writing tools are inundating classrooms and workplaces around the globe, making their competent use a necessity in today’s world. For example, in Finland, students are obligated to use a laptop in upper secondary education and in the national final examination. In light of the results, we highlight the importance of balancing the instruction and practice of different writing modalities. Given the limitations of this study, we suggest conducting a larger-scale study and further research on the educational and cognitive implications of using and learning to write using multiple writing modalities.Peer reviewe

Substantiating vocational competency identity in reindeer herding studies

Vocational education reform in Finland highlights the need for students to develop competency identity. This study explores competency building in a reindeer herding vocational study programme. This study reviewed key factors related to improving the educational design in reindeer herding studies and a digital tool to enhance students’ competency identity development. The study design was based on a case study of educational design research in a northern Finnish Lapland vocational school, the Sámi Education Institute. The research data were gathered from reindeer herding students (N = 23) and teaching and administrative personnel (N = 5) using open-ended narrative interviews, focus group discussions (N = 4), and participant feedback (N = 23) collected in workshops. As part of the educational design research, students designed ePortfolios to demonstrate their competency development. Based on research findings associated with vocational students of reindeer herding, ePortfolios provide a platform for visualising the process of competency identity construction, which encompasses the progression of their learning and presents their skills and expertise. This study presents practical research-based knowledge about students’ competency identity development through the creation of ePortfolios and the connection of studies with working life—the very objective of the vocational education reform. Keywords: vocational education, competency identity, reindeer herding studies, ePortfolio, educational design researc

Embodied Knowledge Construction in Writing

In cognitive and educational sciences, the writing process is an incessantly debated area, particularly when it comes to the newer methods of writing on keyboards and touchscreen devices. Despite controversies, learning through writing with digital devices remains an overlooked area of cognition. To address this gap, in this study, an embodied knowledge construction model that merges Hayes’ framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing with Wilson’s six aspects of embodied cognition was tested among six 16-year-old adolescents. The data comprised memory tests written with a pencil, laptop keyboard, mobile phone touch screen keyboard and a questionnaire. The purpose was to not only examine the adolescents’ recollection after one week of writing stories with these three modalities but also reflect and examine issues affecting the results, which would help develop and validate the embodied knowledge construction model. The results indicate that valuable information was added to the quantitative recollection scores. We have proposed further development of the model

Embodied Knowledge Construction in Writing

In cognitive and educational sciences, the writing process is an incessantly debated area, particularly when it comes to the newer methods of writing on keyboards and touchscreen devices. Despite controversies, learning through writing with digital devices remains an overlooked area of cognition. To address this gap, in this study, an embodied knowledge construction model that merges Hayes’ framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing with Wilson’s six aspects of embodied cognition was tested among six 16-year-old adolescents. The data comprised memory tests written with a pencil, laptop keyboard, mobile phone touch screen keyboard and a questionnaire. The purpose was to not only examine the adolescents’ recollection after one week of writing stories with these three modalities but also reflect and examine issues affecting the results, which would help develop and validate the embodied knowledge construction model. The results indicate that valuable information was added to the quantitative recollection scores. We have proposed further development of the model