The influence of writing medium and gesture modality on early literacy skills

Abstract This study investigates the impact of writing medium (paper vs. tablet) and gesture modality (handwriting vs. tapping) on early literacy development in preschool-aged children. As digital media increasingly replaces traditional media, understanding their influence on foundational literacy skills is crucial. Hardly any study has systematically manipulated writing medium and gesture modality across an ecologically valid intervention to teach the alphabet to preschoolers. To address this research gap, we conducted a 6-week 2 × 2 factorial intervention, manipulating writing medium and gesture modality. We compared four experimental groups ( n = 88) to a non-intervention control group ( n = 33). Results showed that there were no significant differences between digital and analogue media in their impact on letter acquisition. Gesture modality showed age-related effects, with younger children benefiting more from tapping, while older children performed equally well in both handwriting and tapping conditions. Both digital and traditional media proved similarly effective in early literacy instruction, though gesture modality should be tailored to the child’s developmental stage. This intervention significantly enhanced preschoolers’ cursive letter knowledge and literacy concepts and the user-friendly manual for educators supports its implementation in both digital and analogue formats.