M. S.

The study investigated the qualitative differences between the human figure drawings of average and poor readers with visual perceptual problems, and measured the effects of an experimental art program on the reading, drawing, and design copying abilities of poor readers. Comparison of pre-test scores on the Goodenough Drawing Test, the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, and the reading section of the Metropolitan Achievement Test revealed significant differences between the average readers (N = 26) and the poor readers (N = 24). An analysis of specific errors on the Bender and Goodenough tests indicated certain items characteristically failed by the poor reader group. After implementation of the art program to a group of eleven poor readers, comparison of pre- and post-test scores of all groups on the three measures revealed only that the average readers scored significantly higher on the reading measure than either the experimental or poor reader control groups. The Goodenough adjusted post-test mean of the experimental group was numerically higher than the scores of the average or poor reader control groups, suggesting that the art program had positive effects on the human figure drawing abilities of the experimental group. / M. S.