ERIC Number: ED392525
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1995-May
Pages: 10
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Shadowing: An Innovative Perceptual-Motor Experience for Young Children.
Crawford, Connie M.
In 1988, 59 Kindergarten students were studied to determine the effect of "shadowing" on perceptual-motor learning. Shadowing is a method whereby the use of one's shadow provides visual feedback. The method developed from observing children's natural curiosity in creating shadows. Illuminated by sunlight outdoors or overhead projectors indoors, children standing between a wall and the light source interact with shadows created by themselves, others, or projected images. Shadowing activities are used to develop motor skills and spatial awareness. Students were randomly assigned to one of three groups using a stratified random sampling system. The first group participated in 10 minutes of shadowing tasks, along with 30 minutes of other perceptual motor activities. The second group did the same except for shadowing activities, and the control group received no perceptual activities. On several assessments, the shadowing group scored higher than the other two groups in body awareness, fine motor coordination, gross motor skills, visual motor integration, and depth perception. Females scored higher than males in all three groups. Follow-up studies have reconfirmed the results of the original study. (RB)
Descriptors: Body Image, Depth Perception, Early Childhood Education, Eye Hand Coordination, Kindergarten Children, Perception Tests, Perceptual Development, Perceptual Motor Coordination, Perceptual Motor Learning, Primary Education, Psychomotor Skills, Spatial Ability, Visual Learning, Visual Perception
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A