Teaching cursive handwriting: A contribution to the acceptability study of using digital tablets in French classrooms

International audienceThe process of teaching and learning handwriting is complex and laborious. A digital learning environment in the form of a tablet app could enhance teachers' knowledge of writer characteristics and their management of classroom diversity. This study aims to identify the needs of cursive writing teachers from a survey of 164 kindergarten teachers in France teaching writing skills for children aged 5 to 6 years. The results provide insights into teacher needs and, therefore, can be used to identify the acceptability criteria of a tool designed to scaffold the teaching of writing gestures. The results of needs analyses have been interpreted in the light of new scientific findings on reading and writing skills, and there is a discussion on the potential of such a digital learning environment for the classroom, particularly during the training and Journal of Early Childhood Literacy 0(0) 1-24 ! The Author(s) 2019 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permission