Factors of graphomotor skills may serve as indicators to determine a writer’s handwriting proficiency or acclimation to different writing surface textures. This study examines differences in children’s graphomotor skills based on types of writing medium and gender. Participants were 97 six-year-old Korean preschool children who had not received formal writing training prior to the study. Writing tasks were completed on a tablet screen and paper. Writing samples were analyzed using the Eye and Pen software to investigate spatial, temporal, and pressure exertion exhibited during the writing tasks. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed differences in graphomotor skills such as print size, writing speed, and writing pressure. Writing on a tablet screen decreased clarity of writing; print size and speed increased as the stylus slides across the tablet surface with relatively less friction, thereby decreasing the exertion of writing pressure. Analysis of writing differences according to gender indicated that boys generated larger print sizes than girls. Results suggest that while simple writing tasks may be feasible on the tablet screen, providing children with a larger writing medium and encouraging larger print sizes for writing practice, especially for boys, may be beneficial in the development of graphomotor skills among young learners.
In recent years, interest in parent-guided English education for young children has been steadily rising in South Korea. The use of various types of media as a tool for English education at home has also been attracting increased notice. Based on past research findings regarding the impact of socioeconomic variables on the overall attainment of English education, the present study examined the use of English educational media at home by family capital in South Korea. A total of 1,802 cases from the third wave data of the Panel Study on Korean Children (PSKC) were used for analysis. The average age of the children was 26.25 months. Descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression analysis were conducted. For financial capital, monthly income level did not have a significant effect on the use of English educational media at home. For human capital, mother's education level and age significantly affected the use of English educational media such as books and audio & CDs; father's education level and age had an effect on the use of video & DVDs for English education. For social capital, the rate of using English books and audio & CDs at home was higher in suburban regions than in urban regions. This study is meaningful in that it examines the use of English educational media at home among young children, which has been rarely studied.
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