ABSTRACT

Objectives : This study evaluated norms for fine motor dexterity skills on kindergarten and elementary school children.Method : Participants were recruited from five kindergartens and two elementary schools in Seosan area. The sample consisted of 160 healthy students ranging in age from five to eight years. The Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) was utilized to investigate fine motor dexterity.Results : The GPT showed statistically significant differences in hand dominance based on the findings that the scores of nondominant hands were substantially lower than those of dominant hands (p<0.05). The GPT showed significant age group differences in which 8 year old group demonstrated substantially higher scores than those of all other younger age groups (p<0.05). The results indicated a positive relationship between age and GPT scores.Conclusion : The results of this study support the results of previous studies that compared hand function between healthy children and abnormal children. These data will provide standard value of GPT for occupational therapists.