Differences of Motor Proficiency in Preschool Girls Related to Organized Physical Activity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2021.4.11Keywords:
motor competence, preschool, girls, organized physical activity, MABC-2Abstract
This study purpose was to determine the level of motor competence and differences in motor skills of preschool girls aged 5 to 7 from Serbia according to participation in organized physical activities.
Materials and methods. Ninety-one girls aged 5-7 years (mean ± 6.4) were divided into three subsamples: control group, rhythmic gymnastics and sports school. Girls were assessed with the MABC-2 test. Descriptive statistics analyzed the basic characteristics of participants according to the level of motor competence. Furthermore, Pearson’s χ2 test for contingency tables, MANOVA and discriminant analysis were employed to find differences in motor proficiency among groups.
Results. Significant differences have been found in girls attending rhythmic gymnastics in aiming & catching on the upper bound of moderate effect size (p < 0.001, η2 = 139), and total test score moderate effect size (p = 0.006, η2 = 0.105) compared to girls who did not participate in organized physical activity. The discrimination coefficient explained the differences in girls in aiming and catching, with a contribution of 41.4%, balance skills with 24%, and a total test score of 22.9%. According to the level of motor competence, 61% from the control group and 40% from the sports school group scored below average in aiming & catching. The total test score of ≥ 50 percentile was achieved by 68.3% of girls in the control group, 84% in the sports school group, and 96% in rhythmic gymnastics.
Conclusion. This study confirms that sports practice contributes to the development of motor capabilities and influences individual differences in children’s scores. Our findings can contribute to understanding how important it is to promote object control skills games for girls and older preschoolers generally.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Sugden, D., & Wade, M. (2013). Typical and atypical motor development. Clinics in Developmental Medicine, UK: Mac Keith Press.
Newell, K. M. (1986). Constraints on the Development of Coordination. Motor Development in Children: Aspects of Coordination and Control, pp. 341-360. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4460-2_19
Giagazoglou, P., Kabitsis, N., Kokaridas, D., Zaragas, C., Katartzi, E., & Kabitsis, C. (2011). The movement assessment battery in Greek preschoolers: The impact of age, gender, birth order, and physical activity on motor outcome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(6), 2577-2582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.020
Venetsanou, F. & Kambas, A. (2010). Environmental factors affecting preschoolers motor development. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 37, 319-327.
Gallahue, D. L. & Ozmun, J.C. (2006). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
MacNamara, A., Collins, D., Bailey, R., Toms, M., Ford, P. and Pearce, G. (2011). Promoting Lifelong Physical Activity and High Level Performance: Realizing an Achievable Aim for Physical Education. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 16(3), 265-278.
Henderson, S.E., Sugden, D.A., & Barnett, A. (2007). Movement Assessment Battery for Children–2 examiner’s manual. London, England: Harcourt Assessment.
Hardy, L. L., King, L., Farrell, L., Macniven, R., & Howlett, S. (2010). Fundamental movement skills among Australian preschool children. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13(5), 503-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2009.05.010
Stodden, D. F., Langendorfer, S. J., Goodway, J. D., Roberton, M. A., Rudisill, M. E., Garcia, C., & Garcia, L. E. (2008). A developmental perspective on the role of motor skill competence in physical activity: An emergent relationship. Quest, 60(2), 290-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483582
Wrotniak, B. H., Epstein, L. H., Dorn, J. M., Jones, K. E., & Kondilis, V. A. (2006). The relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in children. Pediatrics, 118(6), e1758-1765. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-0742
Barnett, L. M., Morgan, P. J., van Beurden, E., & Beard, J. R. (2008). Perceived sports competence mediates the relationship between childhood motor skill proficiency and adolescent physical activity and fitness: a longitudinal assessment. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-5-40
Hands, B. (2008). Changes in motor skill and fitness measures among children with high and low motor competence: A five-year longitudinal study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(2), 155-162.
Ivashchenko, O., Nosko, Y., Bartik, P., & Makanin, O. (2020). Gender-related peculiarities of 7-year-old schoolchildren’s motor fitness. Teoria ta Metodika Fizicnogo Vihovanna, 20(4), 228-233. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2020.4.05
Haga, M. (2008a). The relationship between physical fitness and motor competence in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 34(3), 329-334.
Vedul-Kjelsås, V., Sigmundsson, H., Stensdotter, A. K., & Haga, M. (2012). The relationship between motor competence, physical fitness and self-perception in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(3), 394-402.
Haga, M. (2008b). Physical fitness in children with movement difficulties. Physiotherapy, 94(3), 253-259.
Tsiotra, G. D., Nevill, A. M., Lane, A. M., & Koutedakis, Y. (2009). Physical Fitness and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Greek Children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 21(2), 186-195.
LeGear, M., Greyling, L., Sloan, E., Bell, R. I., Williams, B. L., Naylor, P. J., & Temple, V. A. (2012). A window of opportunity? Motor skills and perceptions of competence of children in kindergarten. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-29
Robinson, L. E. (2010). The relationship between perceived physical competence and fundamental motor skills in preschool children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 37(4),589-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01187.x
Patel, D., Soares, N., & Wells, K. (2017). Neurodevelopmental readiness of children for participation in sports. Translational Pediatrics, 6(3), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2017.05.03
Gallahue, D. L. & Ozmun, J.C. & Goodway, J.D. (2011). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Sabo, E. (2003). Structure of motoric space and differences in motoric abilities of the preschool boys at the enrolment in elementary school. Fizička kultura, Beograd, 56(1-4), 10-17.
Sabo, E. (2004). Impact of time spent in nursery school towards boy’s maturity for entering primary school. Pedagoška stvarnost, 50(3-4), 301-310.
Radošević, I., Gavrilović, A., Veselinović, J., & Parčina, I. (2018). Preschool sport management: the role of basic sports in preschools. Facta Universitatis, 16(2), 487-492. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4460-2_19
Temple, V. A., Crane, J. R., Brown, A., Williams, B. L., & Bell, R. I. (2016). Recreational activities and motor skills of children in kindergarten. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 21(3), 268-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2014.924494
Barnett, L., Hinkley, T., Okely, A. D., & Salmon, J. (2013). Child, family and environmental correlates of children’s motor skill proficiency. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 16(4), 332-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.08.011
Olesen, L. G., Kristensen, P. L., Ried-Larsen, M., Grøntved, A., & Froberg, K. (2014). Physical activity and motor skills in children attending 43 preschools: A cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatrics, 14(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-14-229
Djordjević, I., Valková, H., Nurkić, F., Djordjević, S., & Dolga, M. (2021). Motor proficiency of preschool boys related to organized physical activity. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(3), 2258-2265. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.s3287
Hardy, L. L., O’Hara, B. J., Rogers, K., St George, A., & Bauman, A. (2014). Contribution of organized and nonorganized activity to children’s motor skills and fitness. Journal of School Health, 84(11), 690-696. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12202
Krombholz, H. (2006). Physical performance in relation to age, sex, birth order, social class, and sports activities of preschool children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 102(2), 477-484. https://doi.org/10.2466/PMS.102.2.477-484
Šalaj, S., Krmpotić, M., & Stamenković, I. (2016). Are Specific Programs a Threat To Overall Motor Development of Preschool Children? Kinesiologia Slovenica, 22(1), 47-55.
Vandorpe, B., Vandendriessche, J., Vaeyens, R., Pion, J., Matthys, S., Lefevre, J., … Lenoir, M. (2012). Relationship between sports participation and the level of motor coordination in childhood: A longitudinal approach. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 15(3), 220-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.09.006
Ribeiro-Silva, P. C. (2016). Influence of the context of oriented sports practice on the global motor development of children. [Master’s thesis, Federal University of Minas Gerais]. https://repositorio.ufmg.br/bitstream/1843/BUOS-AQWFVM/1/disserta__o_ribeiro_silva_2016.pdf
Šalaj, S., Milčić, L., & Šimunović, I. (2019). Differences in motor skills of selected and non-selected group of children in artistic gymnastics in the context of their motor development. Kinesiology, 51(1), 133-140. https://doi.org/10.26582/k.51.1.16
Flôres, F. S., Rodrigues, L. P., Copetti, F., Lopes, F., & Cordovil, R. (2019). Affordances for Motor Skill Development in Home, School, and Sport Environments: A Narrative Review. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(3), 366-388. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512519829271
Drenowatz, C. (2021). Association of motor competence and physical activity in children – does the environment matter? Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(1), 514-519. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.s1055
Logan, K., Cuff, S., LaBella, C. R., Brooks, M. A., Canty, G., Diamond, A. B., … Emanuel, A. (2019). Organized sports for children, preadolescents, and adolescents. Pediatrics, 143(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0997
Parízková, J. (2016). Nutrition, physical activity, and health in early life (2nd ed.). Bocan Rotan, Fla: CRC Press.
Newell, K. M. (1986). Constraints on the Development of Coordination. Motor Development in Children: Aspects of Coordination and Control, pp. 341-360. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4460-2_19
Giagazoglou, P., Kabitsis, N., Kokaridas, D., Zaragas, C., Katartzi, E., & Kabitsis, C. (2011). The movement assessment battery in Greek preschoolers: The impact of age, gender, birth order, and physical activity on motor outcome. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32(6), 2577-2582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2011.06.020
Venetsanou, F. & Kambas, A. (2010). Environmental factors affecting preschoolers motor development. Early Childhood Educational Journal, 37, 319-327.
Gallahue, D. L. & Ozmun, J.C. (2006). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults (6th ed.). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.
MacNamara, A., Collins, D., Bailey, R., Toms, M., Ford, P. and Pearce, G. (2011). Promoting Lifelong Physical Activity and High Level Performance: Realizing an Achievable Aim for Physical Education. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 16(3), 265-278.
Henderson, S.E., Sugden, D.A., & Barnett, A. (2007). Movement Assessment Battery for Children–2 examiner’s manual. London, England: Harcourt Assessment.
Hardy, L. L., King, L., Farrell, L., Macniven, R., & Howlett, S. (2010). Fundamental movement skills among Australian preschool children. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 13(5), 503-508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2009.05.010
Stodden, D. F., Langendorfer, S. J., Goodway, J. D., Roberton, M. A., Rudisill, M. E., Garcia, C., & Garcia, L. E. (2008). A developmental perspective on the role of motor skill competence in physical activity: An emergent relationship. Quest, 60(2), 290-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/00336297.2008.10483582
Wrotniak, B. H., Epstein, L. H., Dorn, J. M., Jones, K. E., & Kondilis, V. A. (2006). The relationship between motor proficiency and physical activity in children. Pediatrics, 118(6), e1758-1765. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2006-0742
Barnett, L. M., Morgan, P. J., van Beurden, E., & Beard, J. R. (2008). Perceived sports competence mediates the relationship between childhood motor skill proficiency and adolescent physical activity and fitness: a longitudinal assessment. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 5, 40. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-5-40
Hands, B. (2008). Changes in motor skill and fitness measures among children with high and low motor competence: A five-year longitudinal study. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 11(2), 155-162.
Ivashchenko, O., Nosko, Y., Bartik, P., & Makanin, O. (2020). Gender-related peculiarities of 7-year-old schoolchildren’s motor fitness. Teoria ta Metodika Fizicnogo Vihovanna, 20(4), 228-233. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2020.4.05
Haga, M. (2008a). The relationship between physical fitness and motor competence in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 34(3), 329-334.
Vedul-Kjelsås, V., Sigmundsson, H., Stensdotter, A. K., & Haga, M. (2012). The relationship between motor competence, physical fitness and self-perception in children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38(3), 394-402.
Haga, M. (2008b). Physical fitness in children with movement difficulties. Physiotherapy, 94(3), 253-259.
Tsiotra, G. D., Nevill, A. M., Lane, A. M., & Koutedakis, Y. (2009). Physical Fitness and Developmental Coordination Disorder in Greek Children. Pediatric Exercise Science, 21(2), 186-195.
LeGear, M., Greyling, L., Sloan, E., Bell, R. I., Williams, B. L., Naylor, P. J., & Temple, V. A. (2012). A window of opportunity? Motor skills and perceptions of competence of children in kindergarten. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-9-29
Robinson, L. E. (2010). The relationship between perceived physical competence and fundamental motor skills in preschool children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 37(4),589-96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2010.01187.x
Patel, D., Soares, N., & Wells, K. (2017). Neurodevelopmental readiness of children for participation in sports. Translational Pediatrics, 6(3), 167-173. https://doi.org/10.21037/tp.2017.05.03
Gallahue, D. L. & Ozmun, J.C. & Goodway, J.D. (2011). Understanding Motor Development: Infants, Children, Adolescents, Adults. (7th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Sabo, E. (2003). Structure of motoric space and differences in motoric abilities of the preschool boys at the enrolment in elementary school. Fizička kultura, Beograd, 56(1-4), 10-17.
Sabo, E. (2004). Impact of time spent in nursery school towards boy’s maturity for entering primary school. Pedagoška stvarnost, 50(3-4), 301-310.
Radošević, I., Gavrilović, A., Veselinović, J., & Parčina, I. (2018). Preschool sport management: the role of basic sports in preschools. Facta Universitatis, 16(2), 487-492. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4460-2_19
Temple, V. A., Crane, J. R., Brown, A., Williams, B. L., & Bell, R. I. (2016). Recreational activities and motor skills of children in kindergarten. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 21(3), 268-280. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2014.924494
Barnett, L., Hinkley, T., Okely, A. D., & Salmon, J. (2013). Child, family and environmental correlates of children’s motor skill proficiency. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 16(4), 332-336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2012.08.011
Olesen, L. G., Kristensen, P. L., Ried-Larsen, M., Grøntved, A., & Froberg, K. (2014). Physical activity and motor skills in children attending 43 preschools: A cross-sectional study. BMC Pediatrics, 14(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-14-229
Djordjević, I., Valková, H., Nurkić, F., Djordjević, S., & Dolga, M. (2021). Motor proficiency of preschool boys related to organized physical activity. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(3), 2258-2265. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.s3287
Hardy, L. L., O’Hara, B. J., Rogers, K., St George, A., & Bauman, A. (2014). Contribution of organized and nonorganized activity to children’s motor skills and fitness. Journal of School Health, 84(11), 690-696. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12202
Krombholz, H. (2006). Physical performance in relation to age, sex, birth order, social class, and sports activities of preschool children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 102(2), 477-484. https://doi.org/10.2466/PMS.102.2.477-484
Šalaj, S., Krmpotić, M., & Stamenković, I. (2016). Are Specific Programs a Threat To Overall Motor Development of Preschool Children? Kinesiologia Slovenica, 22(1), 47-55.
Vandorpe, B., Vandendriessche, J., Vaeyens, R., Pion, J., Matthys, S., Lefevre, J., … Lenoir, M. (2012). Relationship between sports participation and the level of motor coordination in childhood: A longitudinal approach. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 15(3), 220-225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2011.09.006
Ribeiro-Silva, P. C. (2016). Influence of the context of oriented sports practice on the global motor development of children. [Master’s thesis, Federal University of Minas Gerais]. https://repositorio.ufmg.br/bitstream/1843/BUOS-AQWFVM/1/disserta__o_ribeiro_silva_2016.pdf
Šalaj, S., Milčić, L., & Šimunović, I. (2019). Differences in motor skills of selected and non-selected group of children in artistic gymnastics in the context of their motor development. Kinesiology, 51(1), 133-140. https://doi.org/10.26582/k.51.1.16
Flôres, F. S., Rodrigues, L. P., Copetti, F., Lopes, F., & Cordovil, R. (2019). Affordances for Motor Skill Development in Home, School, and Sport Environments: A Narrative Review. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 126(3), 366-388. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031512519829271
Drenowatz, C. (2021). Association of motor competence and physical activity in children – does the environment matter? Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(1), 514-519. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.s1055
Logan, K., Cuff, S., LaBella, C. R., Brooks, M. A., Canty, G., Diamond, A. B., … Emanuel, A. (2019). Organized sports for children, preadolescents, and adolescents. Pediatrics, 143(6). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0997
Parízková, J. (2016). Nutrition, physical activity, and health in early life (2nd ed.). Bocan Rotan, Fla: CRC Press.
Downloads
Published
2021-12-25
How to Cite
Djordjevic, I., Valkova, H., & Petkovic, E. (2021). Differences of Motor Proficiency in Preschool Girls Related to Organized Physical Activity. Physical Education Theory and Methodology, 21(4), 357–364. https://doi.org/10.17309/tmfv.2021.4.11
Issue
Section
Original Scientific Articles
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
