Script Struggles: A Psycholinguistic Study of Handwriting Difficulties among EFL Learners

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the salient manifestations of handwriting difficulties experienced by learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), throwing light on the cognitive, neural, and educational aspects of handwriting. Qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted to provide a comprehensive understanding of the manifestations of handwriting difficulties among EFL learners. In total, 80 college-level EFL students aged between18 to 22 years were included in this study. To investigate the specific manifestations of handwriting difficulties faced by the EFL learner population, data were gathered using a handwriting task given to all participants. The results of this investigation showed that the participants performed less than optimally in key handwriting features, including letter size consistency, legibility, word spacing, letter spacing, letter shape, left margin, and writing speed. Based on the findings, the study concluded with proposed interventions and instructional strategies to enhance the legibility and fluency of EFL learners' handwriting.