Keyboard (Photo credit: orangeacid)
What characteristics make a better 4th grade keyboarder? Here is some research on what effects handsize, age, music experience, gender and athletic background have on keyboarding skills.
This study evaluated the effectiveness of using the Almena Method keyboarding program to teach keyboarding to 4th grade students. Student characteristics were evaluated to measure their effect upon keyboarding success. Seventeen Midwestern fourth grade students of a mixed sex, ethnic, and racial orientation were involved. Students participated in daily 30-minute keyboarding lessons for four weeks. Students tended to increase their keyboarding speed by 33%. Age affected success inversely. Younger students improved more than older students. Music Experience had a positive effect. Larger-handed students improved the most. Gender and athletic background didn’t have any effect upon keyboarding improvement. The specific student characteristics can make a significant difference in student success.
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Comments on: "Keyboarding Camp!: Identifying the Effects of 4th-Grader Characteristics on Keyboarding Proficiency" (3)
The Almena Method doesn’t have long-lasting effects as to key locations. Why teach a word to assocaite with a key that will create a mediator? Any student with piano background will obviously perform better (transfer).
Well, I have a course before that includes a subject keyboard typing. Obvious there’s a proper way of where to use and put fingers on its respective keys, but I find it hard to use, I still manage to hit 60 wpm even without using the proper key hits.
M Erthal – Your comment that piano background will enable keyboarders to perform better may be obvious but it had never been tested.