Writing and iPads in the early years: Perspectives from within the classroom

Writing is a complex and effortful activity and recent surveys indicate that fewer children are enjoying writing or engaging in writing outside of school. Yet compositional writing is a part of the primary curriculum and is an essential part of education. This small-scale international study aimed to garner the views of primary school teachers and children on using iPads in teaching compositional writing and how this writing differed from using paper and pencils. Three teachers and classes of primary school children in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland participated in the study. Individual interviews with the teachers, focus groups with the children and child-led virtual tours of the iPad were all used to gather perspectives. All participants reported on the benefits of using iPads to teach compositional writing. These included fun and enjoyment, greater choice and creativity, the value of multimodal communication and assistance with spelling. However, all participants also advocated a balanced approach to the teaching of compositional writing.