Browsing by Author "Ahonen, Tuukka"

The use of digital materials and environments is rapidly increasing in schools. According to the current curriculum the use of ICT is both the content of learning and a tool for it. The purpose of this study is to find out whether the increasing use of ICT in schools can be pedagogically justified. Previous research shows that writing in general is beneficial for learning. However, handwriting and typing differ from each other in many ways. Hence the goal of this study was to research if there are differences in learning when writing by hand or typing. The research question is whether typing is as effective of a way of learning as handwriting. This study was carried out as a narrative literature review. The research question was addressed by analyzing and comparing existing studies in the field. This study yielded incoherent results on the differences in learning between handwriting and typing. The results on the superiority of either mode of writing are inconclusive. From neuroscientific and cognitive-psychological perspectives, handwriting is better for learning than typing. Brain research shows that handwriting activates more brain regions involved in learning than typing. This difference is suggested to be a result of a strong cooperation between the brain and the body when writing by hand. Conversely, a social perspective supports the perception that typing is better for learning than handwriting. The opportunities for communal learning facilitated by ICT support the use of computers as a tool for learning. The conclusion is that the use of both types of writing can be justified in learning. The results of present research should be considered in future school reforms. However, more research on this topic is still needed. I intend to explore this topic more profoundly in my Master’s Thesis.