Touch typing instruction: Elementary teachers’ beliefs and practices

•Teachers believed touch typing skills contributed to writing achievement.•Teachers felt keyboard automaticity influenced standardized test performance.•Few teachers provided keyboarding instruction to learners.•Lack of student access to devices limited touch typing instruction.

Writers have a limited number of cognitive resources to allocate to the task. Consequently, searching for keyboard letters restricts them from fully engaging in the writing process. High expectations for writing across all levels of education suggest the need for touch typing skills. This mixed methods study examined the beliefs and practices of elementary teachers related to teaching students touch typing skills. Participants included third through sixth grade teachers from eight California counties. A survey completed by 268 teachers was followed by interviews with 12 participants. Results indicated teachers felt touch typing skills were important and that a lack of touch typing proficiency would negatively impact student performance on standardized tests. Teacher perceptions of the impact of student touch typing skills on their writing was divided. Few respondents indicated they or other school personnel offered touch typing instruction. Discussion centers on how these findings were likely influenced by amount of time for instruction, general beliefs about writing instruction, student access to technology, and teacher awareness of how touch typing skills may influence the writing process. Implications for practice are offered.