Search

This cross-sectional study examined associations among motor skill competence (MSC) and health-related fitness (HRF) in youth. A convenient sample of 253 boys and 203 girls (aged 4–13 years) participated in the study. Associations among measures of MSC (throwing and kicking speed and standing long jump distance) and a composite measure of HRF (push-ups, curl-ups, grip strength and PACER test) across five age groups (4–5, 6–7, 8–9, 10–11 and 12–13 yrs.) were assessed using hierarchical regression modeling. When including all children, throwing and jumping were significantly associated with the composite HRF factor for both boys and girls (throw, t = 5.33; jump, t = 4.49) beyond the significant age effect (t = 4.98) with kicking approaching significance (t = 1.73, p = .08). Associations between throwing and kicking speed and HRF appeared to increase from early to middle to late childhood age ranges. Associations between jumping and HRF were variable across age groups. These results support the notion that the relationship between MSC and HRF performance are dynamic and may change across childhood. These data suggest that the development of object control skills in childhood may be important for the development and maintenance of HRF across childhood and into adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of a 9-week instructional program on locomotor and object control skill development of preschoolers who are at risk of developmental delay was investigated. The motor skill instruction group (n = 33) received 18, 35min lessons; the comparison group (n = 30) received the regular prekindergarten program. Pre and posttest scores on the locomotor and object control subscales of the Test of Gross Motor Development (Ulrich, 1985) were obtained. A Group by Gender MANOVA with repeated measures yielded a significant Group by Time interaction. The intervention group performed significantly better than the comparison group from pre to posttest for both locomotor and object control skills. Additionally, this group had significantly higher posttest scores than the comparison group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the implementation of a mastery climate to teach physical education. Description of a mastery climate; Identification of skills to be included in the mastery climate program; Importance of rewarding children for the performance and efforts.

This study examined the feasibility of recruiting and collecting data of Indonesian preschooler's fundamental motor skill (FMS) competence, perceived motor competence, and physical activity in school. A secondary purpose was to explore the relationship among perceived motor competence, FMS competence, school day physical activity behaviors, playground physical activity behaviors, and sex of Indonesian preschoolers from urban and rural environments. Preschoolers (N = 66; n = 35 rural, n = 31 urban) were evaluated on the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC), Perceived Physical Competence subscale (PPC). FMS competence was evaluated using the Test of Gross Motor Development-3. Three-day accelerometry at school yielded percent of school day and percent of playground time spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary behaviors. Children spent 80% of the school day in sedentary behavior and 7% in MVPA. There were sex differences (p <.05) in ball skills favoring boys, and location differences on sedentary playground behaviors (p <.05) with rural children being more sedentary. Children felt "pretty good" about their motor skills (3.29–3.46) on the PPC and PMSC. Regression analyses revealed that location and locomotor skills predicted 13.8% of playground sedentary behaviors; PPC and locomotor skills explained 13.3% of MVPA on the playground; and ball skills predicted 7.7% of PPC. These findings emphasize the need for early motor skill and physical activity interventions and highlight the importance of perceived motor competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study examined the motor competence of preschool children from Belgium and the United States (US), and the influence of perceived motor competence on actual motor competence. A secondary objective was to compare the levels of motor competence of Belgian and US children using the US norms of the Test of Gross Motor Development, Second Edition (TGMD-2). Methods: All participants (N = 326; ages 4–5 years) completed the TGMD-2 and the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Children. Results: Belgian children performed significantly higher on actual object control and locomotor skills than US children. However, both Belgian and US children scored significantly worse on the TGMD-2 when compared to the US norm group from 1997–1998. Furthermore, perceived motor competence was significantly related to actual object control skills but not locomotor skills. Conclusion: The present study showed cross-cultural differences in actual motor competence in young children. The findings also indicate a secular downward trend in childhood competence levels, possibly due to a decrease in physical activity and increase in sedentary behavior. Future research should consider conducting an in-depth exploration of physical activity contexts such as physical education to better understand cross-cultural differences in motor competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examining the underlying processes that contribute to fundamental movement pattern development and their relationship to performance outcomes is essential to effectively promote competence and mastery. However, few studies have examined the associations between process-oriented movement assessments and performance. The purpose of this study was to hypothesize component developmental sequences for the landing phase of the standing long jump and test them via a pre-longitudinal screen with cross-sectional data from children and young adults. Component levels of the standing long jump landing were identified for shank, foot, and arm action on 347 children ages 4–12 years and 48 adults ages 18–25 years. Modal profile curves were plotted for each component across age groups. In addition, modal sequences, height, and mass were regressed against jump distance as a secondary method of developmental validation. Component level trajectories indicated sufficient evidence for developmental trends of each component. Explained variance in jump distance by sequences, height, and mass varied across age groups and sex. Our findings indicate the proposed component sequences for landing may demonstrate adequate developmental validity; however, longitudinal validation is needed. Landing patterns play an important role in standing long jump performance and warrant more attention in motor development research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relationship between perceived physical competence and actual motor skill competence in African American preschool children at risk of school failure and/or developmental delay (N = 59). A secondary purpose was to determine gender differences and the accuracy of self-perceptions. All children completed a perceived physical competence subscale (Harter & Pike, 1984). Actual motor skill competence was measured by Ulrich's (1985) Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD), resulting in three scores (locomotor, object-control, and TGMD-Total). Stepwise regression analysis revealed that locomotor competence (p = .99) and gender (p =.81) did not predict perceived physical competence; but object-control competence (p = .01) did significantly predict perceived physical competence. Adding gender to this regression model did not significantly predict perceived physical competence (p = .69). These findings showed that these children are not accurate at perceiving their physical competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the influence of a motor skill intervention (MSI) program on the perceived competence and social acceptance of African American preschoolers who are at risk of school failure/developmental delay. Two groups of preschoolers enrolled in a compensatory prekindrrgarten program participated in a 12-week intervention. The motor skill intervention (MSI) group received an MSI program, while the control group (C) received the regular prekindergarten program. All children completed Matter's Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance prior to and following the 12-week program. The results indicated that all children, regardless of group, reported high perceived physical and cognitive competence and high perceived maternal and peer acceptance. Additionally, the MSI group reported significantly higher perceived physical competence scores after receiving the MSI program. The MSI group also reported higher perceived physical competence than the C group on postintervention scores. No gender differences were found. It was concluded that perceived competence and social acceptance were enhanced by participation in an MSI program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the implementation of the Successful Kinesthetic Instruction for Lifelong Learning (SKILL) program for the development of fundamental motor skills in elementary physical education. Sequences of locomotor and object control skills; Provision of individual feedback; Examination of the contextual theory.

Process-oriented motor competence (MC) assessments evaluatehowa movement is performed. Product-oriented assessments evaluate theoutcomeof a movement. Determining the concurrent validity of process and product assessments is important to address the predictive utility of motor competence for health. The current study aimed to: (1) compare process and product assessments of the standing long jump, hop and throw across age groups and (2) determine the capacity of process assessments to classify levels of MC. Participants included 170 children classified into three age groups: 4–5, 7–8 and 10–11 years old. Participants’ skills were examined concurrently using three process assessments ((Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd edition [TGMD-2]), Get Skilled; Get Active, and developmental sequences) and one product measure (throw speed, jump and hop distance). Results indicate moderate to strong correlations between (1) process assessments across skills and age groups (rrange = .37–70) and (2) process and product assessments across skills and age groups (rrange = .26–.88). In general, sensitivity to detect advanced skill level is lowest for TGMD-2 and highest for developmental sequences for all three skills. The use of process and product assessments is suggested to comprehensively capture levels of MC in human movement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of the study was to examine the influence of critical cues and task constraints on body-component levels and maximum ball velocity. 81 children (M age = 97.8 mo.) were systematically assigned to one of four strategies. Participants completed 15 throws during each of 4 practice sessions. Differences between groups were found for body-component developmental levels and ball velocity. The differences indicate prompts to throw the ball hard and fast impact ball velocity and body-components by developmental levels. Critical cues also appear to be a useful tool to improve the step component. Results suggest the use of forceful throwing tasks, cues, and velocity feedback can be useful tools to influence throwing performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children from poor, urban, and disadvantaged environments often demonstrate poor motor skill competence in both object control (OC) and locomotor skills (Goodway & Rudisill, 1996; Hamilton et al., 1999). This study examined the motor skill competence of disadvantaged, African American preschoolers. Further, it investigated the effects of a 9-week OC intervention on OC competence. Two instructional approaches were compared: low autonomy (LA) consisting of direct-instruction and a mastery motivational climate (MMC). Participants were randomly assigned to a LA (n = 36), MMC (n = 38), or comparison (no motor intervention) group (n = 39). The LA and MMC groups participated in 18 30-min OC sessions and the comparison group participated in the same amount of unstructured recess. All children were pre-and posttested on the OC subscale of the TGMD-2 (Ulrich, 2001). Preintervention OC competence was low based on percentile ranks (LA = 23%, MMC = 20%, comparison = 20%). A 3 (Group) x 2 (Sex) ANOVA on pre-OC scores revealed no significant group differences (p = .90) or Group x Sex interaction (p = .60). However, a significant sex main effect was found with boys having greater OC competence than girls, F(1, 107) = 29.34, p < .001. A 3 (Group) x 2 Time x 2 (Sex) ANOVA with repeated measures revealed a significant Group x Time interaction, F(2, 107) = 210.97, p < .001, indicating the OC intervention was effective. Post hoc Tukey HSD analysis reported the LA (p ≤ = < .001) and MMC (p ≤ = < .001) groups had significantly better OC competence than the Comparison group from pre- to postintervention. There was no difference between the LA and MMC groups (p = .88). A nonsignificant Group x Time x Sex interaction (p = .94) showed that there were no sex differences within groups from pre- to postintervention. Clearly, disadvantaged preschoolers had low OC competence and needed motor intervention. When instruction was provided by either LA or MMC, preschool children improved their OC skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Object control (OC) skills, in part, form the foundation for motor skill competence and lifetime physical activity (Haywood & Getchell, 2001; Pangrazi, 2007). Children who are disadvantaged encounter a variety of barriers to timely motor development (Goodway & Rudisill, 1997; Hamilton et al., 1999) and national health statistics suggest these children go on to lead sedentary lifestyles later in life. As a result, national health agencies have targeted disadvantaged and ethnically diverse children as a population requiring physical activity interventions. This study conducted a needs assessment of the developmental status of OC skill competence of Hispanic (n = 164) and African American (n = 194) girls (n = 165) and boys (n = 193) enrolled in at-risk preschool programs. All children's motor competence was assessed using the TGMD-2 (Ulrich, 2001). A 2 (Sex) x 2 (Ethnicity) ANOVA was conducted on OC percentile rank scores revealing that both Hispanic (M = 16.24) and African American (M = 24.69) children were developmentally delayed in OC skills. Also, girls (M = 13.11) and boys (M = 26.72) had low OC competence. Significant main effects were reported for ethnicity, F(1, 354) = 17.80, p < .001, η² = .05); sex, F(1, 354) = 38.33, p < .001, η² = .09; and Ethnicity x Sex interaction, F(1, 354) = 4.83, p < .05, η² = .01). Post hoc univariate analyses revealed that African American preschoolers out-performed Hispanic preschoolers (p ≤ .001) and that boys outperformed girls (p ≤ .001). These data support the idea that Hispanic and African American preschoolers have low motor competence and are in need of motor skill intervention if we are to meet national health objectives. Specifically, these interventions need to target females who fall below their male counterparts. Compensatory early childhood programs need to begin to target motor development in structured and culturally relevant ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of FMS instruction on the object control (OC) skills of disadvantaged preschoolers. Participants were 77 disadvantaged preschoolers randomly assigned into three groups: direct instruction (DI; n = 27); mastery motivational climate (MMC; n = 24), and comparison (n = 26). The DI and MMC groups received a 9-week intervention with 2, 30-min sessions per week. All participants were pre- and posttested on the TGMD-2 (Ulrich, 2001). A 3 (Group) x 2 (Time) x 2 (Sex) ANOVA with repeated measures on OC raw scores was conducted with Tukey HSD post hoc follow-up tests. Prior to the intervention there were no differences between group (p > .05), but sex differences (p < .01) were present, with boys more skilled than girls. A significant Group x Time interaction, F(2, 71) = 69.92, p < .001, η² = .66, was found indicating the effectiveness of the intervention. Post hoc analysis indicated that the MMC (p ≥ .001) and DI (p ≥ .001) had significantly better OC skills than the comparison group; there was no difference between the DI and MMC groups (p ≥ .05). A nonsignificant Group x Time x Sex interaction (p > .05) was reported. There was a significant time effect, F(1, 71) = 323.45, p < .0001, η² = . 820. Overall, groups improved from pre- to postintervention. Follow-up paired sample t tests revealed that both Intervention Group 1, t(26) = -13.76, p < .001 (2-tailed), and Intervention Group 2, t(23) = -13.41, p < .001 (2-tailed), significantly improved from pre- to postintervention. In contrast, the comparison group did not improve from pre- to postintervention, t(25) = -1.40, p = .173 (2-tailed). These results suggest that both DI and MMC are valuable in improving the OC skills of young, disadvantaged children. However, future research should consider the other possible motivational benefits of using the MMC approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Sedentary behaviour among individuals with intellectual disabilities, driven by barriers such as limited access to adapted programs and low self-efficacy, contributes to chronic health conditions. This study evaluates the effectiveness of the Valemee Visual System (VVS), a novel tool offering visual support and structured exercise programming, in improving physical fitness and promoting exercise independence in this population., Methods: A repeated measures design was employed with an 8-week intervention involving 22 participants aged 22-44 with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. The program utilised the VVS for total body fitness training., Results: Participants demonstrated significant improvements in grip strength, sit-to-stand performance, bench press capacity, 400-m walk time, and flexibility. Self-efficacy increased, and reduced reliance on prompts indicated greater exercise independence and autonomy., Conclusions: The VVS shows promise in enhancing physical fitness, accessibility, and adherence in adults with intellectual disabilities, supporting long-term health and reducing chronic disease risk., (© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)