The first letter of the child's name was the only letter-level factor consistently associated with correct letter writing¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · associational r2–r3 · q3
Currency · newest study 2014 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? For 5-year-olds, writing the first letter of one's name raised the probability of correct writing from 50% to 83%. → Puranik Cynthia S. 2014 q3 i? For 4-year-olds, both the first letter of the name and later letters in the name were significantly associated with correct writing. → Puranik Cynthia S. 2014 (2)

Evidence¶

Puranik Cynthia S. 2014¶

Puranik Cynthia S., Petscher Yaacov, Lonigan Christopher J. (2014). Learning to Write Letters: Examination of Student and Letter Factors. Journal of experimental child psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.07.009

q3 · i? · associational · r2

Model 5 fixed effects for 5-year-olds. The first-letter-of-name dummy was significant with probability rising "from 50% to 83%"; no standardized effect size is printed.

"however, when the letter written was the first letter in the child’s name, the log odds increased by 1.55, translating into a probability increase from 50% to 83%, t(2645) = 4.01, p < .001."

Puranik Cynthia S. 2014 (2)¶

Puranik Cynthia S., Petscher Yaacov, Lonigan Christopher J. (2014). Learning to Write Letters: Examination of Student and Letter Factors. Journal of experimental child psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2014.07.009

q3 · i? · associational · r3

Model 5 fixed effects for 4-year-olds show both first-letter and later-letter name effects were significant, with probabilities rising from 7% to 30% and 7% to 12% respectively.

"when the letter written was also the first letter in the child’s name, a significantly higher probability was estimated, predicted probability = .30, t(2271) = 4.71, p < .001, translating into a probability increase from 7% to 30%, and when the letter appeared later in the child’s name, a significant effect was observed, predicted probability = .12, t(2271) = 2.89, p < .01, translating into a probability increase from 7% to 12%."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Alphabet Knowledge and Print Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Letter-name knowledge strongly predicts correct letter writing, especially for 4- and 5-year-olds — related
• Letter type, letter order, textual frequency, number of strokes, and symmetry did not substantially or consistently contribute to letter writing — related
• Preschoolers' writing and writing-related skills increase significantly between ages 3 and 5 on letter, name, and CVC word tasks — related
• Children's name writing knowledge is more advanced than their other writing skills, with substantial letter knowledge of their own names by age 3-4 — related
• Letter-writing difficulty varies widely across letters, with O easiest and K hardest, and knowing the letter name raises per-letter probabilities substantially — related
• Most variance in preschoolers' letter-writing skills is due to differences between students rather than between letters — related
• Vowels were easier for 3- and 4-year-olds to write than CV letters — related