|
Research of new online handwriting features in children with graphomotor difficulties
Gavenčiak, Michal ; Mekyska, Jiří (referee) ; Zvončák, Vojtěch (advisor)
In the Czech Republic, there is currently no objective method to diagnose graphomotor difficulties in children. Ongoing research uses modern digitizers to capture the hand-writing process and quantify its parameters. The first goal of this thesis is to develop software tools to faciliate work with the collected data, such as database validation and writing exercise rating, done by specialists. Another goal of this thesis is to design new on-line handwriting parameters which are then to be analysed on a cohort of school children from 2nd to 4th class of primary school (n=239). The implementation of two desktop programs on the .NET platform is described, among three new quantifying parameters based on the principles of isochrony, two-dimensional cross-correlation, and geometrical centroid. All three parameters show significant correlation (r = [0,2; 0,3])with the HPSQ-C rating in 2nd- and 4th-graders and correlation (𝜌= [0,2; 0,5]) with specialist’s subjective scores in all children from the cohort. The analysis suggests children with graphomotor difficulties struggle with regulating handwriting speed and working memory.
|
|
Exploring the Contribution of Isochrony-based Features to Computerized Assessment of Handwriting Disabilities
Gavenčiak, M. ; Zvončák, V. ; Mekyska, J. ; Šafárová, Katarína ; Čunek, Lukáš ; Urbánek, Tomáš ; Havigerová, Jana Marie ; Bednářová, Jiřina ; Galáž, Z. ; Mucha, J.
Approximately 30–60 % of the time children spend in school is associated with handwriting. However, up to 30 % of them experience handwriting disabilities (HD), which lead to a decrease in their academic performance. Current HD assessment methods are not unified and show signs of subjectivity which can lead to misdiagnosis. The aim of this paper is to propose a new approach to objective HD assessment based on the principle of movement isochrony. For this purpose, we used a database of 137 children attending a primary school, who performed a transcription and dictation task, and who were associated with a BHK (Concise Evaluation Scale for Children's Handwriting) score. Employing a machine learning model, we were able to estimate this score with 18 % error. An interpretation of the model suggests that the isochrony-based features could bring new benefits to the objective assessment of HD.
|
|
Research of new online handwriting features in children with graphomotor difficulties
Gavenčiak, Michal ; Mekyska, Jiří (referee) ; Zvončák, Vojtěch (advisor)
In the Czech Republic, there is currently no objective method to diagnose graphomotor difficulties in children. Ongoing research uses modern digitizers to capture the hand-writing process and quantify its parameters. The first goal of this thesis is to develop software tools to faciliate work with the collected data, such as database validation and writing exercise rating, done by specialists. Another goal of this thesis is to design new on-line handwriting parameters which are then to be analysed on a cohort of school children from 2nd to 4th class of primary school (n=239). The implementation of two desktop programs on the .NET platform is described, among three new quantifying parameters based on the principles of isochrony, two-dimensional cross-correlation, and geometrical centroid. All three parameters show significant correlation (r = [0,2; 0,3])with the HPSQ-C rating in 2nd- and 4th-graders and correlation (𝜌= [0,2; 0,5]) with specialist’s subjective scores in all children from the cohort. The analysis suggests children with graphomotor difficulties struggle with regulating handwriting speed and working memory.
|
|
Rhythmic differences between Vietnamese English and the British standard
Slówik, Ondřej ; Volín, Jan (advisor) ; Klégr, Aleš (referee)
This thesis deals with rhythmic differences between Vietnamese English and the British Standard. As all the recorded speakers were originally from Northern Vietnam or lived there for an extensive period of time, it should be noted that the subject of analysis was in fact North Vietnamese English. The theoretical part describes the concept of rhythm in general and modern approaches to its analysing and measuring. Furthermore, the theoretical chapter describes the basics of phonetic characteristics of the Vietnamese language and the British standard of English. The last chapter of the theoretical part constitutes a bridge between theory and analysis as it explains selected features of Vietnamese English concerning mainly the realization of vowels and consonants. The next part is dedicated to methodology and it informs the reader about the criteria for selection of speakers and the means of gathering and processing material. At the end, a number of hypotheses regarding Vietnamese English are presented. In the analysis, values for rhythm metrics for Vietnamese English (%V, ΔV, ΔC, varcoV, varcoC, rPVI-V, rPVI-C, nPVI-V, nPVI-C) are calculated, compared to the rhythm metrics for British English and further evaluated in relation to gender, speakers and prosodic compactness. The results of the analysis...
|