Sensorised Low-Cost Pencils for Developing Countries: A Quantitative Analysis of Handwriting Learning Progress in Children with/without Disabilities from a Sustainable Perspective

Luis Javier Serpa-Andrade, José Juan Pazos-Arias, Martín López-Nores and Vladimir Espartaco Robles-Bykbaev
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Luis Javier Serpa-Andrade: GI-IATa, UNESCO Chair on Support Technologies for Educational Inclusion, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador
José Juan Pazos-Arias: atlanTTic Research Center, Department of Telematics Engineering, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Martín López-Nores: atlanTTic Research Center, Department of Telematics Engineering, University of Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Vladimir Espartaco Robles-Bykbaev: GI-IATa, UNESCO Chair on Support Technologies for Educational Inclusion, Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, Cuenca 010102, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: Learning to write is a demanding endeavour that requires a combination of linguistic, motor and cognitive skills. Some children suffer from delay or inability to acquire those skills, which often hampers their performance at school and brings about serious consequences for self-esteem, personal expectations and social relationships. The situation worsens in developing countries, due to the lack of resources and specialised personnel. With this background, this paper describes an experiment with a newly-developed sensorised pencil with triangular prism shape, which is shown to yield substantial improvements in children with/without special education needs. A team of experts in the areas of speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychology, physiotherapy and pedagogy have expressed very positive opinions about the sensorised pencil and the accompanying software for the acquisition and analysis of quantitative data about handwriting. Furthermore, the device stands out for its low cost in comparison with similar developments, which is a key factor to aid children from low-income families. This fact is explained with a success story of manufacturing and delivering sensorised pencils in the Ecuadorian province of Azuay, framed in a multi-layer sustainable development perspective based on collaboration of several institutions and individuals.

Keywords: handwriting development; sensorised pencils; third-grade and fourth-grade children; special education needs; sustainable technology development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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