A validation study of the Keyboard Personal Computer Style instrument (K-PeCS) for use with children

• This study examines a potential instrument for measurement of typing postures of children. This paper describes inter-rater, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity of the Keyboard Personal Computer Style instrument (K-PeCS), an observational measurement of postures and movements during keyboarding, for use with children. Two trained raters independently rated videos of 24 children (aged 7-10 years). Six children returned one week later for identifying test-retest reliability. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing ratings obtained using the K-PECS to scores from a 3D motion analysis system. Inter-rater reliability was moderate to high for 12 out of 16 items (Kappa: 0.46 to 1.00; correlation coefficients: 0.77-0.95) and test-retest reliability varied across items (Kappa: 0.25 to 0.67; correlation coefficients: r = 0.20 to r = 0.95). Concurrent validity compared favourably across arm pathlength, wrist extension and ulnar deviation. In light of the limitations of other tools the K-PeCS offers a fairly affordable, reliable and valid instrument to address the gap for measurement of typing styles of children, despite the shortcomings of some items. However further research is required to refine the instrument for use in evaluating typing among children.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsterapi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Therapy (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Pediatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Pediatrics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Assessment

Children

Keyboarding

Neuromuscular rehabilitation

Personal computers

3-D motion analysis

Correlation coefficient

Inter-rater reliabilities

Test-retest reliability

Validation study

Reliability

analytical equipment

anthropometric parameters

arm pathlength

article

child

concurrent validity

ergonomics

female

hand movement

hand posture

human

human experiment

intermethod comparison

interrater reliability

keyboard

keyboard personal computer style instrument

male

motion analysis system

musculoskeletal function

normal human

observational method

preschool child

rating scale

school child

test retest reliability

ulnar deviation

videorecording

wrist extension

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)