A Normative Study of Children's Drawings: Preliminary Research Findings

Abstract

This paper describes methodology, data analysis, and initial results of a research study with the long-term goal of establishing contemporary normative data on drawings from children living in the United States. The pool of participants was composed of 316 fourth graders (mean age 9.69 years) and 151 second graders (mean age 7.56 years) who each created a Human Figure Drawing (HFD) that was scored on five modified Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) (Gantt & Tabone, 1998). Data were analyzed along several dimensions: age, gender, ethnic group, and mean scores on each of the five scales. Second graders included more details and used significantly more color and space than the fourth graders. Fourth graders scored significantly higher on the scale measuring congruence with Lowenfeld's stages of drawing development. There was a significant difference between boys' and girls' mean scores on one scale only, with girls using color more realistically than boys. There was no significant main effect for ethnicity (all p values > .01).