What do the parents perceive, and how it affects children’s motor competence? An exploratory study in 5 to 11 years old south Brazilian children

The present study examines sex differences regarding children's self-perceptions and motor competence (locomotor and object control subtests), parents' perceptions about their boys’ and girls’ competence, and the associations among these variables. Parents and their children (N = 77; M = 8.70, SD = 2.13) participated in the study. The children’s motor competence was assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development – Second Edition (TGMD-2). The children’s self-perceptions were assessed using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance and the Self-Perception Profile for Children, depending on the child’s age. The parental perception of their children's motor competence was assessed using an adapted version of the children’s perceptions of motor competence. Boys and girls were similar regarding the locomotor subtest; boys showed significantly higher scores for the object control subtest than girls. Parents’ perceptions of children’s motor competence were significantly related to the children´s motor competence and were the stronger predictor in the locomotor model and the second predictor in the object control subtest model; sex was the stronger predictor for the object control subtest. Our findings address new information regarding children's motor and parents' motor competence.