Date of Award
8-1971
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Degree Discipline
Education
Abstract
Is there a correlation between a child's perceptual-motor performance and his academic achievement? Much attention has recently been given to the development of perceptual abilities as they relate to academic achievements.
Some investigator's research has generally supported that perceptual abilities are considered to be an important factor relative to the development of reading skills, which are a basis of overall academic achievement.
Several investigators have concluded that perceptual abilities influence the reading skills and academic achievement of a child, perceptual-motor training, then should be an integral part of early education.
There is evidence that the efficiency of the higher thought processes can be no better than the basic motor abilities upon which they are based; that is for his higher thought processes to function at their best. A child's neuromuscular development must be adequate, as stated by Mathews.
Motor learning has been recognized as essential for all children and important to the social, emotional, and intellectual life of each one. It helps them to become independent, as stated by Bucher.
Jean Ayers lists visual perception and awkwardness of motor behavior as outstanding problems in many children. Perception must be limited to visual space perception because of the importance it has to the direction of motor tasks. The motor aspects of perceptual development are apparently of great significance. Evidence is available which indicates that motor skills such as copying geometric figures will influence reading ability, and ultimately, academic achievement. Therefore, a directed program of selected physical activities might prove to be influential in the academic achievement of a child.
Kephart emphasizes the close relationship between difficulty in learning and the inability of slow learners to perform neuromuscularly. Neuromuscular development can be attained only through the physical activity experiences provided in a good physical education program. Neuromuscular activities are definitely associated with learning in the classroom; thus there is a vital reason for elementary school physical education.
However, in this instance, the investigator did not work with specifically slow learners per se. Hopefully, Kephart's theory will apply to the random sample of advanced learners as to the slow learners and compared the ability of this group to perform neuromuscularly.
Publisher
Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College
Rights
© 2021 Prairie View A & M University
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Date of Digitization
3/28/2022
Contributing Institution
John B Coleman Library
City of Publication
Prairie View
MIME Type
Application/PDF
Recommended Citation
Arnold, V. J. (1971). An investigation Of The Relationship Between Perceptual Motor Performance And Academic Achievement Of Sixth Grade Girls In The Bastrop Junior High School Bastrop, Texas. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pvamu-theses/1417