Writing skills are on the decline: schools are struggling with new challenges!

Writing skills are on the decline: schools are struggling with new challenges!

In Germany, the writing skills of primary school children are the focus of an intensive educational debate. An important issue is whether traditional cursive scripts should continue to be taught or whether alternative methods should be introduced. This discourse is particularly supported by research at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt under the direction of Dr. Eva Odersky coined. Odersky criticizes the proliferation of fonts and points out that the assumption that cursive is the norm is misunderstood.

In Bavaria, the curriculum follows the approach that children learn print in the first grade before starting cursive in the second grade. Teachers and schools decide whether they teach the simplified starting script or the school starting script. There are currently four different fonts in use in Germany that rely on various approaches to writing. Odersky's research, based on thousands of writing samples from more than 330 fourth graders, shows that block and partially connected writing often represent fluid movements, while connected writing often results in stagnation.

Acceptance of writing and individual support

Another key aspect of the research is the observation that automated writing is significantly linked to children's school performance, including in subjects such as mathematics. The teacher plays a crucial role here, as differences between parallel classes can be identified. According to Odersky, it is very important that teachers enable children to develop their own handwriting and try out different types of writing.

A new model project called “FlowBY” will start in cooperation with the Bavarian Ministry of Culture from 2024. This project covers more than 100 primary schools and will be evaluated over four years. The aim is to support the development of fluent and legible handwriting by teaching partially connected writing as a method.

Writing skills in the focus of educational policy

The discussion about writing in elementary school is not new. A STEP survey from 2022, carried out on behalf of the Association for Education and Upbringing (VBE), shows a decline in writing skills, especially among boys with writing difficulties. Over 70% of teachers reported major problems with writing structure, legibility and writing speed, which worsened after distance learning.

Overall, 89% of the teachers surveyed recommended targeted support for writing skills across all grade levels. This survey includes around 850 teachers from primary and secondary education and is the third Germany-wide survey on this topic, which was carried out in cooperation with the Writing Motor Skills Institute.

Furthermore, German didactics at the University of Siegen have campaigned for the nationwide introduction of a uniform cursive script. A working group was formed to develop a concept for implementation. While the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) agreed on uniform learning of a combined cursive script in primary schools on October 15, 2020, it leaves the written form open in the new guidelines of March 15, 2024. What is crucial here is that the development of individual, fluent handwriting is promoted.

The topic of handwriting skills also remains important in secondary schools. A study by Michael Rödel from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich shows that students' writing skills suffered during the pandemic. Teachers report a decline in handwriting skills and a negative development in keyboarding.

The discussion about writing and its methodology is therefore not only shaped by scientific findings, but also by current challenges in everyday school life. A realignment could not only have a positive impact on the entertainment of handwriting, but also on the associated learning processes.