Measuring Test Visual Motor Skill (TVMS) in Enabling Skills

Development of Early Childhood Education: Case Study of TVMS

Testing in Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cisarua Sukabumi

Hermito Gidion

Vocational Education Program of Universitas Indonesia, UI Campus Depok, Indonesia.

Keywords: Motor Skills, Early Childhood Education, Handwriting

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether there were differences in excellent motor skills in

preschoolers in terms of gender and the place of origin of early childhood schools. The ability of children’s

fine motor skills develops in pre-school age. This study uses multivariate analysis of variance method, based

on Early Childhood Education (ECE) program in Cisarua Sukabumi Jawa Barat Indonesia. Research

conducted on 95 Early Children Education (ECE) school environment. There is no difference in the average

visual-motor skill test between genders. There are differences in average skill motor visual test based on early

childhood education school. There is no interaction between sex with ECE school environment. Handwriting

is a means of communicating through the written word. Handwriting is more than learning alphabet. This

study expands the existing literature on fine motor precision, fine motor integration, manual dexterity, bilateral

coordination, balance, speed & agility, upper-limb coordination and strength, both of which are the

development of motor skills on child development.

1 INTRODUCTION

The 4.0 industrial revolution that happening right

now demands that the world of early childhood

education must be change where education is

characterized by digital in the learning process. Every

early childhood education instructor longs for their

students to be able to keep abreast of the changing

times, especially in the industrial revolution,

especially in early childhood education. Early

childhood education is starting place where early

childhood can be learn and train to be a generation

thats is able to complete in the era 4.0 (Rozalena &

Kristiawan, 2017).

Handwriting problems are one of the most

common causes of referral to occupational therapy

services for school-age children (Feder et al., 2000).

Tait (1998) surveyed 167 American occupational

therapists working in schools and found that 98% of

referrals were for students presenting with alleged

handwriting difficulties. The assessment of a school-

age child’s handwriting skills by a pediatric

occupational therapist includes biomechanical and

ergonomic factors (e.g. pencil grasp or seating

posture), perceptual-motor and sensory processing

skills (e.g. visual-motor integration, in-hand

manipulation, or visual perception skills), environ-

mental factors (e.g. lighting, placement of paper on

the desk, table and/or chair height), and handwriting

performance (e.g. legibility and speed). As children

enter the pre-school age, almost all parents expect to

include children in school that they value will provide

enhanced cognitive, affective and psychomotor

aspects. Cognitive development in school age is

characterized by the mastery of several concepts such

as shape and size, space or spatial concept,

relationship concept, the concept of amount and time

(Turner, 1992).

The Visual Motor Skill Test (TVMS) aims to

determine the profile of fine motor skills in

preschoolers. This test is intended to determine the

child’s current fine motor profile which includes the

ability to control the body, shoulder strength, elbow

strength, wrist and finger strength. In this paper the

authors focus on the fine motor skills of boys and girls

in six early childhood schools in fine motor skill.

Understanding writing here includes the ability to

concentrate and attention, response to commands,

cognitive aspects, eye coordination (visual) and hand

gestures (motor), and physical endurance, especially

Gidion, H.

Measuring Test Visual Motor Skill (TVMS) in Enabling Skills Development of Early Childhood Education: Case Study of TVMS Testing in Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cisarua

Sukabumi.

DOI: 10.5220/0010169300002967

In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Vocational Higher Education (ICVHE 2019) - Empowering Human Capital Towards Sustainable 4.0 Industry, pages 141-145

ISBN: 978-989-758-530-2; ISSN: 2184-9870

141

the strength of the hand (grasping and pinching)

during the child’s writing activities. Thus the ability

to write can represent the ability of children’s visual

motor integration and at the same time reflects the

profile of fine motor development in children.

Sanghavi and Kelkar (2005) stated that visual

motor integration is the ability of the eyes and hands

to work simultaneously in an efficient and smooth

pattern so that it can translate visual perception into

the motor function. There are now several test kits for

visual-motor integration of children, such as Visual-

Motor Integration Test by Beery (in Kaiser 2009) and

Bender-Gestalt Test (Brannigan, Decker, & Madsen,

2004). In the application, both of these test kits

require the subject to redraw certain visual forms

(usually line drawings or shapes) on paper using a

pencil. However, unlike the two visual motor

integration tools, the motor visual skill test developed

by this author combines motor-visual integration with

several other motor elements that affect writing skills.

2 LITERATURE RIVIEW

Fine motor skills are the skills to move and coordinate

the movements of small muscles in doing activities

using eyehand cordination when doing such activities

such as writing, cutting, meronce and others. Writing

ability is not determined by the skills of flexibility in

wrist motion and finger muscle control, but is also

related to visual motor perception, concentration,

hand eye coordination, memory, tactile, kinesthetic,

body position (propioseptif), paper position, and how

to hold the instrument write it. In terms of the process,

everything must be coordinated so that the writing is

better. Disturbances in one or more of the aspects

above tend to affect the quality of the writing process

(Gardner, 1986).

Test of Visual–Motor Skills–Revised. The

TVMS–R (Gardner, 1995) was designed to assess

children’s ability to translate, with their hands, what

they visually perceive and to gain an understanding

of the child’s strengths and weaknesses in these

visual–motor integration abilities. The deficit in the

ability of visual motor skills is a neurological

weakness found in the right brain. Children have

problems in processing and remembering shapes in

numbers, letters and geometric shapes. Deficit in fine

motor skills includes difficulty eating with a spoon,

drawing, cutting, sticking, writing, and copying

shapes from the blackboard. Writting difficulties

occur because children have problems in learning

about models or shapes and letters (Corbin, 1980).

The visual motor skills test is used as a test of the

development of motor perceptual abilities that can be

used for screening the readiness of children who will

enter elementary school (Kusumowardhani, 2002).

Fine motor movements are movements that only

involve certain parts of the body and are carried out

by the muscles of the upper limb, such as skills using

the fingers and wrist movements. Visual–motor

integration difficulties among school-age children are

common. An estimated 5% to 6% of all school- age

children display motor skill difficulties that have a

significant impact on their ability to participate in

daily tasks required of them at school, at home, and

in the community (American Psychiatric Association,

1994, 2000).

3 METHODOLOGY

This study uses multivariate analysis of varians

method, based on Early Childhood Education (ECE)

program in Cisarua Sukabumi Jawa Barat Indonesia.

Research conducted on 95 Early Children Education

(ECE) school environment. This paper seeks to

determine whether there are differences in early fine

motor skills in early children education based on

gender and the environment in which the child learns

in stimulating and stimulating the abilities of fine

motor skills.

The stages performed by the authors in this study

are as follows:

1) Observations on the object of study

Before this research was done, the author has

observed some object of study to be tested.

From several observed objects, the writer

chooses the object of rural community in

Cisarua village with consideration that the area

is quite able to represent the average condition

of the village community in general that exist in

the territory of Indonesia but has the

characteristics of urban communities that are

commonly found in urban areas, especially in

the island Java.

2) Conducting samoling technique

Based on the chosen object of study, the authors

conducted a sampling test of 95 pre-school age

children at 6 PAUD schools in the study area.

The author collaborates with the PAUD

teaching community and PAUD teachers

individually, preceded by a socialization process

to equalize the vision and perception in order to

obtain a common perspective, needs and study

objectives.

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3) Conduct training TVMS ways of testing against

early childhood teachers in six schools early

childhood education.

4) Data Processing

Before the testing process, the researcher gave

technical guidance to the teachers to use TVMS

test instruments to the children. Through the

supervision of the authors, teachers

independently guide and direct the children to

do the test equipment according to the guidance

given. General scoring criteria : To achive a

score of 2 (straight lines should be straight,

Lines of the same length, Each segment of

circular shapes should be smooth arcs, Overlap

and gaps between lines, Angles should be within

2 degrees of stimulus), To achieve a score of 1 (

The shape is generally a good reproduction but

fails to meet any of the previous criteria or meet

the previous criteria but ; There is additionl line,

there are overstikes (numerous lines or

sketches), Drawing touch or extend beyond the

boundaries of the box, To Achieve a score of 0

( the drawing has the gestalt of the stimulus but

the drawing in inferior). Then the total scores of

the items are totaled to obtain the total result

TVMS.

5) Testing process

The researcher conducted a validity and reliability

test to see if the TVMS instrument or instrument

was in line with what was expected. After that

the researchers conducted the testing process

using the SPSS software. Before the testing

process the researchers gave technical guidance

to the teachers to use the TVMS test equipment

to the children. Through the supervision of the

writer, the teachers independently guide and

direct the children to work on the test equipment

according to the guidelines given.

6) Processing data

Based on test results later writers perform data

processing, data summary and interpretation of

test results.

7) Presenting in the form of a repport

The test results are then presented in the form of a

report to the school and given directly

individually to the child’s parents.

8) Evaluasi dan tindak lanjut Evaluation and

Follow-up

The author then conducted a meeting with the

school to provide explanations to the teacher

about the profile of each child based on assets

and limitations of children and provides

teaching techniques to improve or improve the

fine motor skills of children in the next learning

process.

4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The test was conducted on 95 children in six early

childhood education schools in the Cisarua Village,

Nagrak, Sukabumi. TVMS testing is done with the

help of classroom teachers who have been given a test

implementation guide. The time required for testing

is limited to only 30 minutes. Determination of the

duration of time is determined based on the allocation

of time to solve questions per minute, where the

number of questions to be done is 26 questions and

given a tolerance of 4 minutes for the process. The

questions given are in the form of drawings with lines

or two-dimensional shapes with certain variations.

Each question has a range of scores between 0-2

with a maximum total score of 48. Children are asked

to copy or imitate the object image and re-write the

object in the column / space provided in the TVMs

book. Then based on the results of their work

researchers provide a range of scores according to the

ability of children with very good categories, quite

good and need to be improved. This test has been

designed as needed to explore the fine motor abilities

of children.

Figure 1: the average of TVMS value between schools.

The graph above shows that the highest average

TVMS is Beringin early childhood education, which

is 45.00, while the lowest in Dahlia early childhood

education Cisarua is 18.50.because statistically

significant, then further tested with LSD (Least

Square Difference)

From these results the Beringin early childhood

education has the highest score because the Beringin

early childhood education in the process of giving

children gross and fine motor stimulation is very high

with sports activities such as playing ball, archery,

Measuring Test Visual Motor Skill (TVMS) in Enabling Skills Development of Early Childhood Education: Case Study of TVMS Testing in

Early Childhood Education (PAUD) in Cisarua Sukabumi

143

drawing and coloring activities. Teachers in early

childhood education(ECE) very cooperative in

providing gross and fine motor activities at school

and there is home work at home to improve fine motor

and gross motor skills of young children. Early

childhood school facilities in ECE are more complete

and better than other early childhood schools, thus

affecting the learning process that affects the ability

of TVMS.

To support the results of the ability to test visual

motor skills in early childhood, training is needed to

improve the ability of early childhood in terms of :

1) Attention and concentration, namely the ability

of children to focus attention on instructions or

instructions given by the teacher when

explaining the workmanship task guide

2) Understanding (cognitive aspect), namely the

ability of children in understanding the content of

commands given by teachers and able to apply to

motor activity

3) Eye and hand coordination, i.e., visual ability and

hand movements that are mutually supportive

when the child starts to perform writing

movements

4) Fine motor visual skills, i.,e. the ability of

application of fine motor aspects of the child

consistently when doing writing movements

5) Coordination of two hands (bilateral

coordination), namely the ability of both right

and left hand coordinated according to its

function when the child is doing writing

activities. For example, one dominant hand used

to write one hand is used to hold the balance of

the body.

6) Coordination of one hand (lateral coordination),

namely the ability of one hand dominant to

perform writing activities consistently

7) The power of grasping (hand grasp), i.e., the

ability of a handheld dominant hand during

writing activity

8) The clamping force (pinch), which is the ability

of two fingers that rest on the strength of the

fingertips used to clamp the stationery

9) Three jaw chucks, namely the ability to balance

and coordinate the three fingers used during

writing.

Information on the test results is an important

concern for teachers or parents to help children

overcome limitations and develop children’s assets or

abilities so that it increases more. Therefore, based on

the results of TVMS testing above then researchers

do dissemination to the ECE school and teachers. It is

important to inform the school that the results of the

tests are not intended to assess the good or bad of the

child’s motor skills alone but rather to improve and

refine the teaching methods in the classroom to focus

more on improving and developing fine motor skills

of the child.

5 CONCLUSION

Handwritting is a means of communicating through

the written word. Handwritting is more than learning

alphabet. It involves an integration of body skill and

grahomotor abilities (Fletcher, B. E., 1997). Posture,

fine motor skill, sensory integrative, and perceptual

abilities are functional skills requires for legible

handwriting. Tupper & Miesner, 1992 said

handwriting problems can lead to lack of self esteem

or aggressive behavior to try to hide on difficulties.

Knowing the child’s motor skills profile in child

growth is very important to support the learning

ability of children. Parents and teachers should be

involved in monitoring child development. Testing

times became one of the tests that can determine the

profile of the ability of the child. Through this test in

children, ECE obtained the profile of motor abilities

of children. This test is excellent for use by ECE

schools so that schools and teachers can evaluate

teaching methods referring to the child’s motor skills

profile. Furthermore, this test needs to be developed

by enriching the instruments and other variables to

better capture more detailed profiles of children’s

motor skills. The limitation of this test is still focusing

on fine motor skills related to writing ability.

Therefore the development of other types of activities

that represent the fine motor skills of the child is very

open for further development.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the preparation of this paper, the authors conveyed

infinite gratitude to DRPM UI, which has provided an

opportunity for writers to research the business of the

implementation agenda of community service

programs, conducted. Acknowledgments are also

devoted to the Vocational Education Program of the

University of Indonesia, which has provided an

opportunity for writers to be able to attend as well as

presenting this paper.

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