ABSTRACT
The study was conducted with the aim to research the influence of familiarization on test results for the assessment of motor skills in preschool children. In sum, 165 children (84 boys and 81 girls; mean age = 5.2 years, SD = 0.91) participated in the study. The measurement protocol consisted of six series of measurements in three different motor tests. Results showed a significant improvement of 11.51% in the standing long jump test, 13.02% in the polygon backwards test, and 26.29% in the hand taping test. In assessing the motor status of preschool children, it is essential to conduct a process of familiarizing with motor tests as well as the overall situation in which the measurement is carried out and wait for the stabilization of scores before their use.
Subject(s)
Child Development/physiology , Motor Skills/physiology , Neuropsychological Tests , Recognition, Psychology/physiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
This research study was conducted to establish the influence of familiarization on the information component of movement in a motor task for the assessment of preschool children's motor skills. The sample included 50 children whose mean age was 5.9 years (71.5 months). The experimental group consisted of 27 children who were 5.9 years (71.5 months) old, and the control group consisted of 23 children who were 5.9 years (71.5 months) old. The examinees performed 2 motor tasks, standing long jump (SJ, explosive strength) and standing on 1 leg on a beam "flamingo test" (FT, balance). The experimental group underwent a period of familiarization with the motor task in 3 sessions with 5 trials every 3 days. The results indicate statistically significant differences in the final testing between both groups of examinees; the experimental group mean was 112.73 cm, and the control group mean was 100.62 in the SJ test (p = 0.00), and the experimental group mean was 27.10 seconds and the control group mean was 15.01 seconds in the FT (for balance) (p = 0.00). The results obtained in this research indicate that children significantly improved the results in the motor test of strength and balance, being influenced by familiarization. It was confirmed that it was necessary for preschool children to be familiar with the test and it is not justified to use testing and assessment protocols and standards for adults. Physical educators and coaches, when testing preschool children, should introduce children to tests to obtain the best result.
Subject(s)
Athletic Performance/psychology , Motor Skills/physiology , Movement/physiology , Postural Balance , Recognition, Psychology , Analysis of Variance , Athletic Performance/physiology , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Muscle Strength , Muscle, Skeletal/physiology , Statistics, NonparametricABSTRACT
In 1933, at the 5th Regional Sokol Meeting in Ljubljana which was at the time a place in the Yugoslav Kingdom, Skerlj carried out the first measurements of 189 gymnasts, active competitors; in 2000, at the World Cup Meeting in Ljubljana, Cuk and associates carried out measurements of 40 top gymnasts. Our analysis of identical variables has shown that there is no difference in body height and weight of the gymnasts in 1933 and those in 2000, while there is a significant difference in the width of their shoulders and pelvis, the contemporary athletes being wider in their shoulders and narrower in their pelvis. The differences can be assigned to the new requirements in contemporary gymnastics as exercises are becoming more difficult, including more rotation around the vertical and horizontal axis.
