RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 30-week fundamental motor skill program in typically developing young children and to investigate possible sex differences. DESIGN: A multicenter quasi experimental design was set up for this study which involved 992 children aged 3-8 years. METHODS: All participants received their typical Physical Education curriculum and habitual movement activities. The intervention group (n=523; 53.5% boys) received a weekly 60-min motor skill session provided by trained local instructors in existing child settings; the control group (n=469; 49.7% boys) received no additional practice. Fundamental motor skills were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development, 2nd Edition before and after the intervention. To assess the effect of the intervention and possible sex differences, hierarchical linear regressions analyses were conducted for locomotor and object control gain scores. RESULTS: The intervention group demonstrated a higher gain in both locomotor (ß=3.78, SE=1.08, p<0.001) and object control (ß=4.46, SE=1.06, p<0.001) skills than the control group. Girls demonstrated a lower gain in object control skills (ß=-3.50, SE=0.49, p<0.001) and higher gain in locomotor skills (ß=1.01, SE=0.44, p=0.022) than boys, regardless of group. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a wide-scale community-based intervention in typically developing children. The sex differences reported may indicate the need to use different pedagogical and instructional strategies to enable boys and girls to develop and master a wide range of motor skills.
Assuntos
Exercício Físico/fisiologia , Atividade Motora/fisiologia , Destreza Motora/fisiologia , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Criança , Desenvolvimento Infantil , Pré-Escolar , Comportamento Cooperativo , Estudos Transversais , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Educação Física e Treinamento , Análise de Regressão , Fatores SexuaisRESUMO
AIM: This study aimed to understand the fundamental motor skills (FMS) of Belgian children using the process-oriented Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD-2) and to investigate the suitability of using the United States (USA) test norms in Belgium. METHODS: FMS were assessed using the TGMD-2. Gender, age and motor performance were examined in 1614 Belgian children aged 3-8 years (52.1% boys) and compared with the US reference sample. RESULTS: More proficient FMS performance was found with increasing age, from 3 to 6 years for locomotor skills and 3 to 7 years for object control skills. Gender differences were observed in object control skills, with boys performing better than girls. In general, Belgian children had lower levels of motor competence than the US reference sample, specifically for object control skills. The score distribution of the Belgian sample was skewed, with 37.4% scoring below average and only 6.9% scoring above average. CONCLUSION: This study supported the usefulness of the TGMD-2 as a process-oriented instrument to measure gross motor development in early childhood in Belgium. However, it also demonstrated that caution is warranted when using the US reference norms.
Assuntos
Destreza Motora , Fatores Etários , Bélgica , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Valores de Referência , Fatores SexuaisRESUMO
The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent and divergent validity between the Body Coordination Test for Children (KTK) and the Motor Proficiency Test for 4- to 6-Year-Old Children (MOT 4-6). A total of 638 children (5-6 yr old) took part in the study. The results showed a moderately positive association between the total scores of both tests (r(s) = .63). Moreover, the KTK total score correlated more highly with the MOT 4-6 gross motor score than with the MOT 4-6 fine motor score (r(s) = .62 vs. .32). Levels of agreement were moderate when identifying children with moderate or severe motor problems and low at best when detecting children with higher motor-competence levels. This study provides evidence of convergent and divergent validity between the KTK and MOT 4-6. However, given the moderate to low levels of agreement, either measurement may lead to possible categorization errors. Children's motor competence should therefore not be judged based on the result of a single test.
Assuntos
Transtornos das Habilidades Motoras/diagnóstico , Destreza Motora , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Reprodutibilidade dos TestesRESUMO
The aim of this study was to investigate the convergent and divergent validity between the Body Coordination Test for Children (KTK) and the Motor Proficiency Test for 4- to 6-Year-Old Children (MOT 4-6). A total of 638 children (5-6 yr old) took part in the study. The results showed a moderately positive association between the total scores of both tests (rs = .63). Moreover, the KTK total score correlated more highly with the MOT 4-6 gross motor score than with the MOT 4-6 fine motor score (rs = .62 vs. .32). Levels of agreement were moderate when identifying children with moderate or severe motor problems and low at best when detecting children with higher motor-competence levels. This study provides evidence of convergent and divergent validity between the KTK and MOT 4-6. However, given the moderate to low levels of agreement, either measurement may lead to possible categorization errors. Therefore, it is recommended that children's motor competence not be judged based on the result of a single test.