The Influence of Gender and Parental Support  on Visual-Motor Integration in Children

This study was developed to contribute to the current body of research by investigating whether gender influences drawing skill, and whether this effect was mediated by parental support. The Beery Visual-Motor Integration Test (Beery VMI) was administered to 68 children, with ages ranging from 3 to 7 years, and their parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The data was collected at three primary schools in The Netherlands and the questionnaires could be filled out online. To test the effect of gender on drawing skill, an independent sample t-test was conducted. This showed that girls scored significantly higher on the Beery VMI than boys (p < .01). To test whether parents showed support to a different extent based on gender of the child, another independent sample t-test was conducted. This finding showed no significant effect (p = .938). Finally, a mediation analysis was conducted to test whether parental support mediated the effect of gender on test score. This turned out...Show moreThis study was developed to contribute to the current body of research by investigating whether gender influences drawing skill, and whether this effect was mediated by parental support. The Beery Visual-Motor Integration Test (Beery VMI) was administered to 68 children, with ages ranging from 3 to 7 years, and their parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire. The data was collected at three primary schools in The Netherlands and the questionnaires could be filled out online. To test the effect of gender on drawing skill, an independent sample t-test was conducted. This showed that girls scored significantly higher on the Beery VMI than boys (p < .01). To test whether parents showed support to a different extent based on gender of the child, another independent sample t-test was conducted. This finding showed no significant effect (p = .938). Finally, a mediation analysis was conducted to test whether parental support mediated the effect of gender on test score. This turned out to be a non-significant effect (p = .938). Based on these findings, it can be concluded that girls score higher on drawing skills than boys, parents support boys and girls to the same extent, and parental support does not mediate the effect of gender on drawing skills. These findings implicate the need for schools to adjust their general (art) curricula to an individualized one, and advise future research to address possible influential factors on test score, besides parental support.Show less

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The Influence of Gender and Parental Support on Visual-Motor Integration in Children