The Relationship of Level of Eye-Hand Coordination and Answer Marking Format to the Test Performance of First — And Second-Grade Pupils;Implications for Test Validity

Abstract

This study was concerned with the effects of eye-hand coordination on the ability of first- and second-grade pupils to use separate answer sheets on the California Test of Mental Maturity, Short Form (CTMM). The subjects were 57 pupils enrolled in these two grades at one elementary school. In terms of their scores on Subtest I of the Frostig Developmental Test of Visual Perception, subjects were grouped into low, middle, and high levels of eye-hand coordination. The CTMM was then administered twice to all subjects: once using the test booklet marking format and once employing a separate answer sheet. Order of administration was counterbalanced within each eye-hand group. As expected, the analysis of variance yielded significant main effects of marking format at each grade level in favor of the booklet marking format. Moreover, marking format and eye-hand group membership yielded a significant interaction (p <.05) at grade one. Simple effects tests indicated significant differences in favor of the booklet format for low and middle range eye-hand groups but not for the high group. It was concluded that a low level of eye-hand coordination contributes to a severe depression of separate answer sheet performance at grade one. Developmental differences were cited as the probable cause. Implications for test validity were discussed briefly.