Research shows that good typing skills contribute to good spelling and writing. Learning to type is important for primary school children!
Primary school children increasingly have to hand in homework and assignments digitally. And they have to take tests on the computer. Good typing skills are therefore very useful. But did you know that good typing skills also help you increase your spelling and composing abilities? Two scientists from Nijmegen (The Netherlands) proved it.
What exactly did they do research on?
If you teach children to type better, will they also become better at spelling and composing? That is what the researchers wanted to know. A total of 234 primary school children from grades 6, 7, and 8 (in the UK grades 5, 6 and 7) were involved in the study. Some of them received typing lessons during the research period, the other children were the control group and did not receive typing lessons.
How did they carry out the research?
All children did the same typing test to measure their typing skill. Then they had a dictation test and finally an assignment in which they had to make up a story (composing).
What were the conclusions?
The study showed that there was a correlation between typing skills, spelling and composing. Those with high typing skills (i.e. who typed at high rates per minute and made few mistakes) also made fewer spelling mistakes at the dictation. The quality of the typed story was also better. Children wrote longer stories, were better at punctuation and capitalisation and made fewer spelling mistakes.
How is that possible?
This is difficult to explain. The researchers think that the children with typing lessons have been more involved with language, which has improved their spelling and composing skills. Another factor is that these children do not have to think about typing. Thanks to the typing lessons, that happens automatically. This leaves them with more ‘working memory’ for spelling and composing.
They learned to type very fast
In the study, children who received typing lessons achieved an average typing speed of no less than 169 strokes per minute! That is a lot. Certainly if you compare it to the number of strokes that adults have to achieve according to the European Computer Driving License. They are responsible for the certification of typing diplomas and think that you should achieve at least 120 strokes per minute for your diploma. These kids can easily achieve that!
What does this mean for you?
This study shows that it is right to pay attention to typing skills in primary school. It is useful for doing homework, but it is also good for your child’s language skills. Wouldn’t you want this for your child as well? TypeTopia teaches children in a fun way how to touch type.. Experience it yourself and do our free trial lesson together with your child!
About the researchers
Henny van der Meijden is doing research for the Radboud University in Nijmegen (the Netherlands) into the influence of typing skills on processes that take place during learning. Mariëtte Tesselhof is a typing teacher and researches the influence of typing skills on various aspects of language proficiency. In short, reliable scientists who are engaged in relevant fields of study. They previously published about this research in a magazine called Levende Talen (Living Languages, available in Dutch only).
