Normative and validation studies of the Nine-hole Peg Test with children

This study evaluated norms for fine motor dexterity skills on elementary school children of ages 5 through 10 and conducted reliability and validity studies utilizing the Nine-hole Peg Test. The sample included 826 students in 10 elementary schools. Moderately high test-retest reliability (rs=.81 and .79) and high interrater agreement (rs>.99) were obtained. Older students had shorter completion time that measured fine motor dexterity than younger students. Significant sex differences were found in completion time, but only for the dominant hand. Correlations of -.80 and .74 between the scores on the Nine-hole Peg Test and Purdue Pegboard Test at all tested ages indicated adequate concurrent validity of the measures and a significant difference in test scores between regular and special education groups provided further evidence of construct validity. The findings supported the Nine-hole Peg Test as an effective screening tool for fine motor dexterity of school-age children.