THE DILEMMA OF REPLACING TRADITIONAL CALLIGRAPHIC SKILLS WITH TECHNOLOGY IN THE TEACHING OF WRITING

Abstract

A dilemma concerning the replacement of calligraphy with technology to teach how to write was posed to 312 pre-service Spanish infant and elementary school teachers (PSTs). A series of arguments of a different nature taken from educational professionals were provided to provide the decision-making stage with a solid ground. 60% of PSTs defended their decision on the basis of opinion rather than scientific sources. Pearson’s chi-squared test did not show any significant differences when comparing qualification and age with the decision adopted or the nature of the argument. Differences were found in women exhibiting lesser preference for change. As conclusion, we found that there is no consensus amongst PSTs with regards to change. This reinforces the need for the educational community to make an effort to try to improve decision-making and the argumentation skills in PSTs.