A recent pilot study by student researchers from Pfeiffer University’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) program has shown that 4th-grade students from an elementary school in Huntersville, N.C., who struggle with handwriting legibility, vastly improved their legibility when they used RediSpace paper for written assignments.

The pilot study’s results were “so significant” that MSOT will replicate the study this fall with a larger number of students from several elementary schools, both near Pfeiffer and in more urban areas, said Dr. Jennifer Waid, an Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy-Pediatrics at MSOT who’s supervising the research.

“Even though we are a very digital society, research is very clear that handwriting legibility, especially in grades K-4, has a strong impact on academic success,” Waid said. 

“If the results of the larger study are as significant as the pilot, we may be able to establish RediSpace paper as an evidence-based tool that teachers can use to support general education students in grades 3 and up who are on grade level, but struggle with handwriting legibility — which, if not addressed, can eventually cause them to fall behind.”

RediSpace paper looks like notebook paper but features slightly bolder margin lines (the left margin is green, and the right margin is red). It also has faint vertical measured marks along the writing line; these provide a space for each letter and blank spaces between words. The vertical marks also provide visual guidance for the size of lowercase letters.

The pilot study looked at the impact on spacing within and between words. Student researcher Ellie Riddle called it “truly eye-opening.”

“We were able to see firsthand how significantly handwriting legibility impacts students’ schoolwork, and how a simple one-step intervention tool (like RediSpace paper) can make such a positive difference in their handwriting,” she said. “This research has been incredibly rewarding, and we hope it will encourage teachers, parents, and occupational therapists to use this simple tool to take students’ handwriting legibility one step further.”

In addition to Riddle, the MSOT students who participated in the pilot study included Grace Broccoli, Brianna Gulickson, Caroline Jessen, Martha Juarez, Emily Peck, and Mackenzie Prather.

As for the larger study, Waid is seeking MSOT student researchers drawn from the entire program. They will explore how RediSpace paper impacts letter-size consistency, alignment on the writing line, and margin adherence. Waid and her students are hoping to pay for the $3k study cost via a fundraising campaign at pfeiffer.edu/pediatricOTresearch.

The two MSOT studies are a response to voluminous research demonstrating that learning to write letters (or gaining handwriting automaticity) supports the learning of phonics, spelling, symbolic representation of the letters and more complex cognitive skills related to literacy, particularly in the years before 5th grade, when students begin becoming efficient typists.

When letter formation doesn’t become automatic there are numerous consequences. Said Waid: “It creates a heavier cognitive load as the child tries to not only remember how to form a ‘b’ correctly, but also how to sit it on the line correctly, space it within the word correctly, spell the word he is trying to spell, get the sentence on the paper before he forgets, etc. This then leads to sizable challenges when they are trying to plan a 5-sentence paragraph and 5-paragraph essay.”

Students who struggle with handwriting automaticity “often have illegible handwriting and struggle to get their thoughts on the paper,” she added. “Or, if they can get them on the paper, the teacher struggles to read the content accurately, which can result in lower grades.”

Waid touts the two RediSpace studies as ideal for MSOT students “interested in eventually practicing in pediatrics” because “this research will directly apply to their practice.” 

The studies also foster an understanding of the research process, which Waid called “imperative” for all OT students. “OTs are required to utilize evidence-based practice, which means that all of the assessments and interventions we use with clients of all ages need to be proven effective by research.”