Effect of digital writing instruction with tablets on primary school students’ writing performance and writing knowledge

The aim of this study is to explore the effect of digital writing instruction with tablets on fourth-year primary school students' writing performance and writing knowledge. This study, in which quantitative and qualitative data are collected together, is based on the simple view of writing and a new literacies perspective. The participants consisted of 96 students, of whom 47 were in the control group and 49 were in the experimental group. According to the quantitative findings, firstly, both the quality and number of words of the stories written during the process by students participating in the instruction with tablets were significantly higher than those of students who wrote with paper and pencil. Secondly, although writing quality scores for posttest stories of students participating in the instruction with tablets were significantly higher than those of students who wrote with paper and pencil, no significant difference was found between their numbers of words in the posttest. Thirdly, the posttest writing knowledge scores of students participating in the instruction with tablets were significantly higher than those of students who wrote with paper and pencil. The qualitative findings revealed that the students’ sharing of their writing on the class blog, their utilisation of multimedia components for writing training, and the opportunity for online social interaction enriched the writing instruction process with regard to the new literacies. •This study introduces a platform named the Strategic Digital Writing Environment.•This platform is based on the perspective of the new literacies and the simple view of writing.•This platform is effective in developing primary school students' writing performance and writing knowledge.•Digital writing on tablets enriches the traditional writing process.