[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-145984-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-145984-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","quantifying-coloring-skills-among-preschoolers-scoring-method-based-on-train-picture","Quantifying Coloring Skills Among Preschoolers - Scoring Method Based on Train Picture","","Coloring is widely used in preschool settings and can reflect children’s developmental state, yet evaluation is often subjective and inconsistent, making scientific interpretation difficult. This study develops an objective scoring method to quantify coloring skills using colored blank train templates. Four indicators—entropy, complexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas—are combined into a summed score. Findings show good reliability, validity, and the identification of mature, transitional, and immature coloring patterns for typical development.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/quantifying-coloring-skills-among-preschoolers-scoring-method-based-on-train-picture/145984/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/quantifying-coloring-skills-among-preschoolers-scoring-method-based-on-train-picture/145984.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"WPS_1786070896","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-08-26",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",9,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why is coloring skill assessment difficult in preschoolers?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Current evaluations rely heavily on subjective descriptive comments, which vary widely and lack clear, interpretable indicators and consistent rating scales.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How does the proposed scoring method quantify coloring skills?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Colored blank train templates are analyzed using four indicators—entropy, complexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas—combined into a summed score.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What evidence supports the reliability and validity of the new method?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The summed score shows good internal consistency, discriminative validity, convergent validity with age and visual-motor integration, and acceptable factorial validity.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},145984,1787733625,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":144},549768072016,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Quantifying Coloring Skills Among Preschoolers  \nChien-Yu Huang; Gong-Hong Lin; Szu-Ching Lu; Shih-Chieh Lee  \nAbstract  \nImportance: Coloring is popular with preschool children and reveals their developmental state. However, interpreting coloring performances is challenging because descriptive and subjective evaluations are commonly used with large variations.  \nObjective: To develop a scoring method to objectively quantify children’s coloring skills.  \nDesign: Colored blank train templates were analyzed using four indicators (entropy,  \ncomplexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas) to form a summed score. Setting: Kindergarten in a urban city (Tainan, Taiwan) .  \nParticipants: Two hundred thirty-nine typically developing children ages 3 to 6 yr.  \nOutcome and Measures: A newly developed method to assess coloring skill on the basis of a colored picture of a train.  \nAbstract  \nImportance: Coloring is popular for preschool children, revealing their developmental states. However, interpreting coloring performances is challenging because commonly-used comments are descriptive and subjective with large variations.  \nObjective: To develop a scoring method to quantify children’s coloring skills objectively. Design: The colored blank train templates were analyzed using four indicators (entropy, complexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas) to form a summed score. Setting: Community.  \nParticipants: Data of 239 typically-developing children were used, aged 3 to 6 years. Results: The summed score exhibited good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.80), discriminative validity (p = 0.04), convergent validity (rs = 0.66 and 0.59 with age and visualmotor integration), and acceptable factorial validity (Comparative fit index = 0.99, Standardized root-mean-square residual = 0.04, and Root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.13). Moreover, three coloring patterns (mature, transitional, and immature) were identified.  \nConclusions and Relevance: The new method provides objective, reliable, and valid scores representing coloring skills in at least typically-developing children. In addition, the coloring patterns can be recognized. This method can be used to facilitate comparisons of children’s coloring skills with peers, and provide valuable insight into children’s development.  \nWhat This Article Adds: This study proposed a new method to objectively quantify children’s coloring skills with sound reliability and validity in typically-developing children. The method can be used to evaluate children’s coloring skills and patterns to shade the lightson their developmental stages.  \nKeywords: coloring skills, children, complexity, entropy, development  \nIntroduction  \nColoring is a popular and enjoyable activity among preschool children. This activity can be likened to a game due to its inherent characteristics of being fun, fostering creativity, and providing a sense of accomplishment. Thus, coloring skills is one of important play skills forchildren. Furthermore, coloring offers a multitude of developmental benefits. By engaging in coloring activities, children are able to channel their imagination and emotions through the vivid array of colors, simultaneously practicing patience and emotional regulation through the rhythmic and repetitive motions (Carsley et al., 2015; Turturro & Drake, 2022) . Coloring exercises serve as a reflection of children's developmental progress, encompassing cognitive abilities (Holt et al., 2019), fine motor skills (Fitrianingsih & Sari, 2019; Oktavia et al., 2019; Priyantoro & Hasanah, 2023), and visual-motor integration (Martino & Lape, 2021) . For instance, a child's aptitude for coloring can unveil their grasp of color recognition, arrangement of hues, attention span, dexterity, and the coordination between their hands and eyes. As coloring aptitude mirrors diverse developmental proficiencies, it can offer insights into a child’s overall growth, particularly conce","cbCaiiT9GBk7YNQG","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiiT9GBk7YNQG","pdf",2787859,25,"English","# Introduction\n## Background and developmental value of coloring\n## Limits of subjective scoring\n## Need for objective indicators\n# Scoring Method and Indicators\n## Train template approach\n## Four indicators: entropy, complexity, outside-the-lines, unexpected blanks\n# Results and Measurement Quality\n## Reliability and validity evidence\n## Identified coloring patterns\n# Conclusions and Applications\n## Use for comparisons and developmental insight","[{\"question\":\"Why is coloring skill assessment difficult in preschoolers?\",\"answer\":\"Current evaluations rely heavily on subjective descriptive comments, which vary widely and lack clear, interpretable indicators and consistent rating scales.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the proposed scoring method quantify coloring skills?\",\"answer\":\"Colored blank train templates are analyzed using four indicators—entropy, complexity, coloring outside the lines, and unexpected blank areas—combined into a summed score.\"},{\"question\":\"What evidence supports the reliability and validity of the new method?\",\"answer\":\"The summed score shows good internal consistency, discriminative validity, convergent validity with age and visual-motor integration, and acceptable factorial validity.\"}]","Quantifying Coloring Skills Among Preschoolers - Scoring Method Based on Train Picture | PDF",63]