LAUSR

Abstract The use of one-to-one tablets in literacy education is significant and increasing. This study investigates what 36 grade 1 and 2 students do when they write on tablets with speech synthesis pronouncing what the students write. We observed their writing and explored the motivations for their actions by analyzing video recordings, screen recordings, and students’ texts in light of three concepts from self-determination theory: competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Our results showed silent classrooms in which students seemed engaged in writing. The speech synthesis function leads to a considerable focus on orthography. Moreover, students competed on text length, showed digital tricks to peers, and wrote profanities . These actions are understood as a part of the students’ autonomy and relatedness with peers.