Student work preferences: Typing or handwriting in the digital era

As technology advances, many products are invented, including various electronic devices. The invention of smartphones, tablets, and computers has changed the ways students act while performing different tasks at school. For example, some students have started to use laptops to make slideshows for presentations, replacing handwritten posters. However, the decision to do things digitally or by hand depends on different students’ habits. We hypothesized that most students would prefer typing over handwriting when completing academic work. To test this, we conducted a survey of secondary students at Hsinchu International School, asking them about their preferences on digital work, handwritten work, or neither. Our results showed that a majority of students preferred typing their assignments. We believe this preference may be due to the convenience, speed, and ease of editing that typing allows. Although more research is needed to better understand the underlying reasons for their choices, the responses suggest that typing academic work digitally is generally preferred among students.