Curriculum Insights and Progress Study: Insights for teachers – What matters when teaching handwriting? Publications
Publication Details
This insight is part of a collection developed through the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study (Curriculum Insights). Each insight draws on study data to highlight a key finding, identify opportunities for growth, and offer practical classroom strategies.
This insight draws on data collected in Term 3, 2025, through the Curriculum Insights school visit programme. In 2025, the programme included a handwriting assessment.
Author(s): The Educational Assessment Research Unit (EARU) at the University of Otago, and the New Zealand Council for Educational research (NZCER). Report for the Ministry of Education.
Date Published: September 2026
Insight
Effective handwriting instruction should focus on the overall quality of movement and letter production, rather than on pencil grip alone. Early handwriting instruction often emphasises the development of a functional pencil grip and accurate, consistent letter formation. While the tripod grip has traditionally been viewed as the optimal grip for handwriting, many New Zealand students use alternative grips. Findings from this study show that students using similar grips can control the pencil in quite different ways; some students using alternative grips demonstrate smooth, coordinated finger movements. This suggests that how students control the pencil may be as important as how they hold it.
More information is available on the website of the Curriculum Insights and Progress Study.
Navigation
Contact us
Curriculum Insights and Progress Study
If you would like more information about this report, please email the EMA Mailbox
Education data requests
If you have any questions about education data, please email us at Requests Data and Insights