Personal styles of handwriting in grades six, seven, eight and nine

149 Pages·1959·3.53 MB·English

by  Seifert, Eloise P.

Boston University
OpenBU http://open.bu.edu
Theses & Dissertations Dissertations and Theses (pre-1964)
1959
Personal styles of handwriting in
grades six, seven, eight and nine
https://hdl.handle.net/2144/22513
Boston University
BOSTON UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Dissertation
PERSONAL STYLES OF HANDWRITING
IN GRADES SIX, SEVEN, EIGIIT, AND NINE
Submitted by
,,
. c>
,<'
Eloise P~ Seifert
(B.A., Georgian Court College, 1953)
(Ed.M., Boston University, 1955)
In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Education
1959
Boston University
School of Education
Library
First Reader:
Professor of Education
Second Reader:
ce Crossley
rofessor of Education
Third Reader:
Helen A, Murphy
Professor of Education
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ••.••••••• , •••••••••••••••••• , • • • • 1
Introduction......................................... 1
The problem.................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH................................. 3
History of Handwriting Styles.......................... 3
Handwriting--An Individual Skill....................... 5
Handwriting Objectives................................. 9
Handwriting Factors ... ,................................ 11
Descriptive characteristics.......................... 12
Handwriting in the Curriculum.......................... 13
Time allotments ••••••••• , ••.••.••• ,............... • • • 15
Speed and quality...................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Standards of quality.............................. . . . 18.
Motor coordination and handwriting................... 18
Personality and handwriting.......................... 19
Intelligence and handwriting......................... 21
Present Trends.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
III. PLAN OF 'flliCS'IlmlY ••••••••••••••••••• , , , , ••• , • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23
Instigation of the Study,; ............................ , 23
Preliminary Study...................................... 23
Population........................................... 24
Construction of materials......................... . . . 24
Procedure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Analysis of data in preliminary study................ 25
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iv
CHAPTER PAGE
Ill. Major Study ............ ...•.•....•............•........ 26
Population . ................•......................... 26
Construction of the sample paragraphs .••••••••.•••••• 27
The Inquiry Form .......•.••..•..•..•............•.... 30
Classification of samples ••••••••.•.••••••••••••••••• 33
Rules for scoring ................................... . 36
Rules for scoring personal untimed tests •••.••••••••. 37
Rules for scoring timed personal tests ••••••••••••••• 37
Rules for scoring deterioration •....•................ 38
The testing program •.••••••••••••••••••••••.•••.••••. 38
Data obtained . ...................................... . 39
SUIIJIDB.ry of procedure .•••••••••••••.••••. •..••.•••••.• 44
IV. ANALYSIS OF DATA.......... • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • . • • . • . . • • • • • • • 45
Central Tendency and Variability....................... 48
V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. • • • • • • • • • • • . • • . • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 86
S UJl1DlB.ry • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 8 6
Cone 1 us ions . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Major findings..................... . • . • • . • .• • . • • • • • . • • 97
BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................... 99
LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1. Number and Per Cent of Pupils Having a Personal Style and
Their Attitude Toward This Style (N = 187 Cases)......... 25
2. Distribution of Pupils by Grade Level...................... 26
3. Letter Frequency in Football Paragraph and Muskoka Lake
Paragraph and Number of Times Analyzed................... 29
4. Classification of Handwriting Styles....................... 35
5. Reliability Coefficients--California Test of Personality--
Intermediate........................... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
6. Correlation Table Showing Relation of Errors Computed by
Scorer A and Scorer B. . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . 43
7. Classification of 1020 Samples by Towns and Grades......... 46
8. Classification of Samples According to Type Combining
Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9 (N = 1020)......................... 47
9. Distribution of Handwriting Scores on Personal Styles--
Grade 6--Towns A, B, C (N = 147) ••••••••• ,, ••••• , ••.• , •. , 49
10. Distribution of Speed Scores for Grade 6--Towns A, B, C
(N=147) ................................................ 50
11. Deterioration in Relation to Speed for Grade 6 (N = 119)... 51
12. Distribution of Scores on Samples of Daily Work--Grade 6--
Towns A, B, C (N = 138).................................. 52
13. Distribution of Intelligence Quotients for Grade 6 Pupils
Having Personal Styles (N = 147)., •• , •••. ,, ••.• , •.••• , . . • 52
14. Classification of Samples According to Type--Grade 6--
Towns A, B, C (N = 290) ................................. , 53
15, Distribution of Quality Scores on Personal Styles--Grade 7
--Towns A, B, C (N= 132)................................ 54
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Table Page
16. Distribution of Speed Scores--Grade 7--Towns A, B, C
(N=l32) .......................... ~····················· 55
17. Deterioration in Relation to Speed--Grade 7--Towns A, B, C
(N=l03) ................................................ 56
18. Distribution of Scores on Samples of Daily Work--Grade 7--
Combining Towns A, B, C (N = 120)........................ 56
19. Distribution of Intelligence Quotients for Grade 7 Pupils
Having Personal Styles...... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
20. Classification of Samples According to Type--Grade 7
(N=277) •••••••.••••.••.••••••••••••••••••••..••••••••.• 58
21. Distribution of Handwriting Scores on Personal Styles--
Grade 8--Towns A, B, C (N = 72).......................... 58
22. Distribution of Speed Scores--Grade 8...................... 59
23. Deterioration in Relation to Speed--Grade 8 (N = 72)....... 60
24. Distribution of Scores on Samples of Daily Work--Grade 8
(N=70) •..........•.........•........................... 60
25. Distribution of Intelligence Quotients for Grade 8 Pupils
Having Personal Style (N = 72)........................... 61
26. Classification of Samples According to Type--Grade 8
(N=201) .....' ........................................... 62
27. Distribution oE Handwriting Scores on Personal Styles--
Grade 9 (N = 107)........................................ 62
28. Distribution of Speed Scores for Grade 9 (N = 107)......... 63
29. Deterioration in Relation to Speed for Grade 9 (N = 107)... 64
30. Distribution of Scores on Samples of Daily Work--Grade 9
(N=lOl) ••••.•••••••.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•.•.. 64
31. Distribution of Intelligence Quotients for Grade 9 Pupils
Having Personal Styles (N = 107)......................... 65
32. Classification of Samples According to Type--Grade 9....... 66
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Table Page
33. Distribution of Scores at Grade 6 Level for Handwriting
Characteristics as Shown on Personal Untimed Hand-
writing Test (N = 147)................................... 66
34. Distribution of Scores at Grade 7 Level for Handwriting
Characteristics as Shown on the Personal Untimed Hand-
writing Test (N = 132)................................... 67
35. Distribution of Scores at Grade 8 Level for Handwriting
Characteristics as Shown on the Personal Untimed Hand-
writing Test (N = 72).................................... 67
36. Distribution of Scores at Grade 9 Level for Handwriting
Characteristics as Shawn on the Pirsonal Untimed Hand-
writing Test (N = 107)................................... 67
37. Distribution of Handwriting Scores of 1020 Pupils in Grades
6, 7, 8, and 9 Having Personal Styles of Handwriting..... 68
38. Pertinent Information Gained from the Questionnaire Com-
bining Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9............................. 69
39. Distribution of Handwriting Scores of 1020 Pupils in Grades
6, 7, 8, and 9 Having Personal Styles of Handwriting..... 71
40. Distribution of Speed Scores of 1020 Pupils in Grades 6, 7,
8, and 9 Having Personal Styles.......................... 72
41. Distribution of Scores of 1020 Pupils Showing Deterioration
in Relation to Speed (Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9)............. 73
42. Distribution of Scores on Samples of Daily Work--Grades 6,
7, 8, and 9.............................................. 74
43. Distribution of Intelligence Quotients for Pupils Having
Personal Styles in Grades 6, 7, 8, and 9................. 75
44. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 6 on
the Basis of Intelligence................................ 76
45. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 7 on
the Basis of Intelligence ...................... 0 •••••••• 0 76
46. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 8 on
the Basis of Intelligence................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
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Table Page
47. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 9 on
the Basis of Intelligence (N = 107)..................... 77
48. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 9 on
the Basis of Motor Coordination (N = 107)............... 78
48a. Distribution of Scores for MacQuarrie Test ·Of Mechanical
Ability--Grade 9 (N • 107).............................. 79
49. Comparison of Percentage of Personal Styles in Grade 9 on
the Basis of Personality (N = 107)...................... 80
49a. Distribution of Scores for the California Test of
Personality--Grade 9 (N = 10/).......................... 81
50. Grade Levels Where Personal Styles Started (N = 258)...... 82
51. Pupils Who Do Not Remember Grade Level Where Personal
Style Started........................................... 82
52. Speed Scores of 458 Pupils with Personal Styles When
Writing Standard System ............... ~................. 83
53. Mean Scores on Personal Timed Test Compared with Standard
Timed Test.............................................. 84
54. Quality and Type of Writing Used When Pupils with Personal
Styles Were Asked to Write Using the Standard System--
Grades 6, 7 , 8, and 9 (N =458) • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • 84
CHAPTER I
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Introduction.-- Many pupils exposed to a certain stereotyped
system of writing throughout the elementary grades will develop, or
have developed, a handwriting style markedly different from this sys-
tem. These deviations from the basic handwriting pattern range from
a legible style written by the pupil at a reasonable rate of speed to
a style that is written at a painfully slow rate of speed and at the
same time containing letters and words that are wholly illegible.
Some pupils will use a personal handwriting style in all writing
activities; others will use it only in personal writing activities such
as writing a letter to a friend.
In this investigation personal styles of handwriting will be
analyzed in grades six, seven, eight, and nine. It is the purpose of
this study to discover: (1) the percentage of pupils who develop per-
sonal styles; (2) reasons why certain pupils develop particular styles;
(3) speed and legibility in regard to these styles; and (4) influencing
factors such as intelligence, motor capacity, and personality traits in
regard to these styles.
The problem.-- The purpose of this study is to discover personal
styles of handwriting among 1000 pupils in grades six, seven, eight,
and nine. The study is concerned specifically with the following prob-
lems:
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