The Construction of a Muscular Strength Test Battery for Girls in the Primary Grades.

This study was designed to construct a gross muscular strength test battery for girls 6-9 years of age in grades 1-3. The subjects for this investigation were a random sample of 183 girls in grades 1-3 of the public schools of Natchitoches, Louisiana. The variables selected were 22 cable tension strength tests developed by Clarke and associates. The instrument selected for use was a 200 pound cable tensiometer. Subjects were administered the cable tension strength tests in a specific sequence which was selected for purposes of practicality and ease of administration. After completion of testing, the data were statistically treated in the following manner. Intercorrelations between all experimental test items were computed using the Pearson product-moment formula. The correlation coefficients were factor analyzed according to the principal axes method of factor analysis with the varimax criterion for rotation. As a result of this factor analysis, Knee Flexion, Shoulder Outward Rotation, and Hip Adduction were selected as the cable tension strength test items to include in a gross muscular strength test battery for girls in the lower elementary grades. (JA)