Perceptual-Motor Functioning and School Achievement in Lower-Class Black Children

Abstract

Perceptual-motor functioning was studied in 160 lower-class, black, fifth-grade children, 80 achieving at or above grade level, and 80 achieving at least 2 yr. below grade level. On the Bender motor-Gestalt test, the low achievers made significantly more errors than the high achievers, including both rotation and non-rotation errors. Sex differences were minimal and, where observed, stemmed from a particularly high frequency of non-rotation errors among the low-achieving girls. Performance of the high achievers was close to published norms for the Bender but low achievers fell substantially below the norms.