The Clock Drawing Test: Establishing Normative Standards For Use in Psychoeducational Assessment

Authors

  • Diane Darwish
  • Rosa A. Hagin

Abstract

The Clock Drawing test was administered to 143 first through fourth grade regular education students in an exploratory study that attempted to determine the approximate grade levels at which skill on the test may be expected. A scoring schema consisting of three error categories was developed to evaluate performance: spatial organization, numerical knowledge, and knowledge of time concepts. Students earned points for meeting specific criteria, with a total possible score of 14. Scores and error types were analyzed from a developmental perspective. In every category, scores improved most between first and second grade, presumably due to the emphasis on time concepts within the second grade curriculum. Steady improvement was observed in the areas ofspatial organization and numerical knowledge over the four grades. Knowledge oftime concepts peaked slightly in second grade. Overall, the quantity and range of errors decreased with age, with approximately 75% of fourth grade students receiving perfect scores.

The Clock Drawing test was also administered to 30 students with learning disabilities of approximately first and second grade age levels. In a comparison of group mean scores, these students scored significantly lower than their regular education counterparts. As a whole, this group seemed to have more difficulty with the basic skills necessary to complete the clock drawing task, however perfonnance varied widely within the groups, reaffirming the heterogeneity of learning disabilities.

Issue

Section

Articles