Gen Z doesn't know how to type on keyboards: Report
Generation Z, often recognized as digital natives, is surprisingly struggling with keyboard typing skills. A recent report by The Wall Street Journal has highlighted this unexpected deficiency. The study cites data from the US Department of Education, revealing a significant drop in high school graduates taking a keyboarding course - from 44% in 2000 to just 2.5% in 2019.
Educators' assumptions and students' preferences
The report indicates that many educators assume Gen Z students naturally acquire typing skills via constant device usage. However, this is not always the case. For instance, Christine Mueller, a former tech educator in Oklahoma City, noticed that despite providing laptops to students, her school district did not teach them how to type efficiently. This led her to organize the city's first "Key Bee," a competition aimed at promoting typing practice among students.
Preference for tablets and mobile devices
The Wall Street Journal report also highlights that many Gen Z students prefer using tablets and mobile devices over the physical keyboards. For example, an 18-year-old from Illinois, Paige DeChaney, composed an eight-page memoir entirely on her iPad. Data from the online education platform Canvas supports this trend, depicting that between March and May 2024, 39% of assignments were submitted via mobile devices.
Impact of typing skills on academic performance
The report underscores that as the states transition standardized tests to computer-based exams, students with superior typing skills can potentially score higher. This is because they can concentrate better on the test content, rather than struggling with the keyboard. Tim Dikun, COO of Teaching.com (parent company of Typing.com), has seen an increased demand for typing curricula from states such as New York and Texas due to their shift toward computer-based testing.
