Relationship between gender and tactile-kinesthetic sensitivity and the quality of writing among students with and without writing difficulties

Writing, a skill that students practice as soon as they start primary school, requires coordination between motor, perceptual and cognitive abilities. In order to determine the effect of gender on writing difficulties and the possible differences in the relationship between tactile-kinesthetic perception and writing skills of boys and girls with and without writing difficulties, a study was conducted in 2016 on a sample of 1,156 fifth to eighth grade students of eight Belgrade primary schools. Although the results obtained suggest that girls write faster than boys, difficulties with writing fast were equally present in both groups of students. However, difficulties with writing quality occurred with statistically significantly greater frequency among boys. Pencil grip, kinesthetic sensibility test results and consistency of pressure were not unrelated to students' gender, with girls achieving better results. Moreover, boys had significantly lower scores than girls on tactile function tests. The obtained results indicate that gender is a determinant of writing difficulties as measured through speed of writing and legibility. Also, girls have more developed kinesthetic-tactile functions, which are correlated with writing quality.