Pe7cept1lal and Motor Skills, 1979, 48, 116.118.
@ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1979
INFLUENCE OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES ON SHAPE RECOGNITION AND RETENTION CARL P. GABBARD A N D CHARLES H. SHEA
Texas ALM University1 Summary.-Three groups of 4-yr.-old children were asked to complete a form perception assessment instrument prior to, 1 hr. after, and 1 wk. following a treatment. Group 1 participated in a movement-based form perception program, while Group 2 was instructed using a traditional classroom method. A third group which acted as control participated in unrelated movement activities. A repeated-measures analysis of variance gave a main effect of tests and an interaction of groups x tests. Group 2 displayed significantly higher performance on the posttesr than Group 1; however, after 7 wk. the performance of Group 2 had decreased to a level below that of Groups 1 and 3, which remained stable. The use of movement activities to develop and reinforce achievement in the academic arcas of education is not new to many professionals. Proponents of learning and movement-based activity contend that motivation and fun are prime factors in the learning and retention of information, but few studies concerning movement have actually reported o n retenrion levels of children. A number of motor learning specialists claim that the retention of motor skill learning is greater than "academic" verbal instruction based o n motivation and processes of neurpmuscular feedback (Sage, 197 1) . Humphrey ( 1967, 1 9 6 9 ) . Penman, et al. ( 1 9 7 6 ) , and Bledsoe, et al. ( 1 9 7 4 ) have reported that groups taught academic (math, reading, and language arts) concepts using movement and manipulative activities made significant gains over traditionally taught groups. In the same studies, Bledsoe. et al. and Penman, et a!. reported that the performance of experimental movement-activity groups was more stable over long-retention intervals than traditional control. Although a number of previous studies have reported on the effects of perceptualmotor training and learning, it does not seem evident that shape recognition and retention, as influenced by movement and non-movement programs has been investigated to any significant degree. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between movement and non-movement based programs of form perception and their influence o n learning and retenrion. The subjects were 21 randomly selected 4-yr.-olds enrolled at the Texas A&M Child Movement Center. There were 10 boys and 11 girls who ranged in age from 49 to 5 4 mo. T h e subjects were randomly divided into three groups ( 7 per group). Group 1 participated in a movement-based form-perceprion program using shape cut-outs (white colored) and cut boxes as equipment for movement and throwing activities. Subjects were asked to name each shape (triangle, rectangle, and oval) as they moved through o r attempted to throw a bean bag at it. Group 2 was instructed using a traditional classroom method of form perception. Subjects were shown various pictures of the three shapes and asked to inspect them visually. They were told the names of the shapes and asked to recall them periodically during the session. Group 3. which served as the control, participated in movement activities which were unrelated to form perception. All three groups participated in three sessions (1 hr. each) over a 2-wk. period. S u b jects were pretested on form perception 30 min. before the first session and post-tested 'Department of Health and Physical Education.
MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES I N RECOGNITION AND RETENTION
117
TABLE 1 MEANSA N D STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF PRE- AND POST~ESTS
N
Group
Pretest
Posctest 1
Posttest 2 Retention
M
1 hr. afrer the last session. The second posttest (retention) was administered 1 wk. after the last session. The form perception tests were modified standardized Encyclopedia Britannica VisualForm Perception Sheets. Subjects were administered the triangle, rectangle, and oval perception sheets at each testing session. A maximum of 15 min. was allowed for the completion of all three sheets. The sheets were modified after each session by rearranging some of the shapes to different locations on the page. The subjects were asked co identify by means of a pencil mark, the specific shapes. Thirty-five specific shapes were present on each sheet among other shapes and figures.
FIG. 1. Interaction of groups X test
Means and variability of pre- and postcest performance are summarized in Table 1. A groups x tests analysis of variance with repeated measures on tests produced a main .01) and an interaction of groups X tests (F1.30 = effect of tests (P,m = 19.76, p 24.32. 9 .01), while the main effect of groups (F3.l~= 1.10, p .05) was nonsignificant. Analysis of simple main effects indicated that the performance~of Group 2 improved on the posttest but decreased over the retention interval to a level below that of Groups 1 and 3 (Fig. 1 ) . O n the other hand, the performance of Group 1, after improving from pre- to posttest, remained stable over the retention interval. The performance of Group 3 remained stable throughout testing and was significantly lower than Groups 1 and 2 on the posttest and Group 1 on the second posttest. The find~ngsof this study in relationship to retenrion are supportive of Bledsoe, et el. (1974) and Penman, et al. (1976). The children who participated in rhe movement program retained significantly more information than the traditionally instructed group. The results were not supporrive of Humphrey (1969, 1967) in that the experimental group
@ Perceptual and Motor Skills 1979
INFLUENCE OF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES ON SHAPE RECOGNITION AND RETENTION CARL P. GABBARD A N D CHARLES H. SHEA
Texas ALM University1 Summary.-Three groups of 4-yr.-old children were asked to complete a form perception assessment instrument prior to, 1 hr. after, and 1 wk. following a treatment. Group 1 participated in a movement-based form perception program, while Group 2 was instructed using a traditional classroom method. A third group which acted as control participated in unrelated movement activities. A repeated-measures analysis of variance gave a main effect of tests and an interaction of groups x tests. Group 2 displayed significantly higher performance on the posttesr than Group 1; however, after 7 wk. the performance of Group 2 had decreased to a level below that of Groups 1 and 3, which remained stable. The use of movement activities to develop and reinforce achievement in the academic arcas of education is not new to many professionals. Proponents of learning and movement-based activity contend that motivation and fun are prime factors in the learning and retention of information, but few studies concerning movement have actually reported o n retenrion levels of children. A number of motor learning specialists claim that the retention of motor skill learning is greater than "academic" verbal instruction based o n motivation and processes of neurpmuscular feedback (Sage, 197 1) . Humphrey ( 1967, 1 9 6 9 ) . Penman, et al. ( 1 9 7 6 ) , and Bledsoe, et al. ( 1 9 7 4 ) have reported that groups taught academic (math, reading, and language arts) concepts using movement and manipulative activities made significant gains over traditionally taught groups. In the same studies, Bledsoe. et al. and Penman, et a!. reported that the performance of experimental movement-activity groups was more stable over long-retention intervals than traditional control. Although a number of previous studies have reported on the effects of perceptualmotor training and learning, it does not seem evident that shape recognition and retention, as influenced by movement and non-movement programs has been investigated to any significant degree. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between movement and non-movement based programs of form perception and their influence o n learning and retenrion. The subjects were 21 randomly selected 4-yr.-olds enrolled at the Texas A&M Child Movement Center. There were 10 boys and 11 girls who ranged in age from 49 to 5 4 mo. T h e subjects were randomly divided into three groups ( 7 per group). Group 1 participated in a movement-based form-perceprion program using shape cut-outs (white colored) and cut boxes as equipment for movement and throwing activities. Subjects were asked to name each shape (triangle, rectangle, and oval) as they moved through o r attempted to throw a bean bag at it. Group 2 was instructed using a traditional classroom method of form perception. Subjects were shown various pictures of the three shapes and asked to inspect them visually. They were told the names of the shapes and asked to recall them periodically during the session. Group 3. which served as the control, participated in movement activities which were unrelated to form perception. All three groups participated in three sessions (1 hr. each) over a 2-wk. period. S u b jects were pretested on form perception 30 min. before the first session and post-tested 'Department of Health and Physical Education.
MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES I N RECOGNITION AND RETENTION
117
TABLE 1 MEANSA N D STANDARD DEVIATIONS OF PRE- AND POST~ESTS
N
Group
Pretest
Posctest 1
Posttest 2 Retention
M
1 hr. afrer the last session. The second posttest (retention) was administered 1 wk. after the last session. The form perception tests were modified standardized Encyclopedia Britannica VisualForm Perception Sheets. Subjects were administered the triangle, rectangle, and oval perception sheets at each testing session. A maximum of 15 min. was allowed for the completion of all three sheets. The sheets were modified after each session by rearranging some of the shapes to different locations on the page. The subjects were asked co identify by means of a pencil mark, the specific shapes. Thirty-five specific shapes were present on each sheet among other shapes and figures.
FIG. 1. Interaction of groups X test
Means and variability of pre- and postcest performance are summarized in Table 1. A groups x tests analysis of variance with repeated measures on tests produced a main .01) and an interaction of groups X tests (F1.30 = effect of tests (P,m = 19.76, p 24.32. 9 .01), while the main effect of groups (F3.l~= 1.10, p .05) was nonsignificant. Analysis of simple main effects indicated that the performance~of Group 2 improved on the posttest but decreased over the retention interval to a level below that of Groups 1 and 3 (Fig. 1 ) . O n the other hand, the performance of Group 1, after improving from pre- to posttest, remained stable over the retention interval. The performance of Group 3 remained stable throughout testing and was significantly lower than Groups 1 and 2 on the posttest and Group 1 on the second posttest. The find~ngsof this study in relationship to retenrion are supportive of Bledsoe, et el. (1974) and Penman, et al. (1976). The children who participated in rhe movement program retained significantly more information than the traditionally instructed group. The results were not supporrive of Humphrey (1969, 1967) in that the experimental group
