Investigating the construct of motor competence in middle childhood using the BOT‐2 Short Form: An item response theory perspective

Abstract

Purpose Motor assessments generally produce a single motor competence score based on the general motor ability hypothesis, which states that motor competence is a one‐dimensional trait underlying a wide range of motor skills. Yet, it is unclear whether the general motor ability hypothesis holds true in middle childhood, which is marked by an increased participation in sports and other types of physical activity. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the structure of motor competence in middle childhood using a test battery with a large item set. Method A cross‐sectional design was used to collect motor competence data of 2538 children aged 6‐11 years. Participants completed the Bruininks‐Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency—2nd Edition Short Form (BOT‐2 SF), which consists of 14 skill items and covers different motor domains. In accordance with the BOT‐2 SF manual, point scores were computed for each item. Polytomous Rasch analyses (ie, general partial credit model) were carried out to investigate the construct of motor competence. Results Rasch analyses revealed different items with unordered threshold parameters, due to ceiling effects. However, after empirically rescaling the category width for each item, follow‐up analyses revealed a one‐dimensional structure with 12 items. Conclusion The study provides some evidence of a one‐dimensional construct (ie, motor competence) underlying motor assessment in middle childhood. Continued efforts should be made to ensure that valid composite scores are used in motor assessment and to better understand the development of motor competence across childhood and into adolescence and adulthood.

The validity and reliability of observational assessment tools available to measure fundamental movement skills in school-age children: A systematic review

“…Five studies explored the structural validity of the BOT. The BOT-2 SF was also found to have good structural validity once mis-fitting items were removed for children aged 6–8 years, but ceiling effects were found for older children (aged 9–11 years)[ 134 ]. Two studies exploring structural validity found good evidence utilising Rasch analysis, with results indicative of unidimensionality, with the overarching factor accounting for 99.8% [ 64 ] and 82.9% [ 73 ] of the variance in test scores for children with intellectual deficits (BOT), and typically developing children (BOT-BF), respectively.…”

“…Five studies explored the structural validity of the BOT. The BOT-2 SF was also found to have good structural validity once mis-fitting items were removed for children aged 6-8 years, but ceiling effects were found for older children (aged 9-11 years) [134]. Two studies exploring Wilson et al [54] Darsaklis et al [96] BOT-2…”

Physical Fitness and Motor Competence in Chinese and German Elementary School Children in Relation to Different Physical Activity Settings

“…Bös [ 71 ] analyzed the test battery’s psychometric properties for a sample consisting of nearly 50,000 school children and adolescents. The validity of the three elementary balancing, jumping, and ball handling tests for motor competence (MC) as an underlying general motor ability in children aged 6–11 years was recently confirmed by Bardid et al [ 74 ], as these authors found one-dimensionality of even 14 different motor test tasks of the Bruinink-Osseretsky-Test of motor proficiency (BOT-2).…”

Developing and validating a school-based screening tool of Fundamental Movement Skills (FUNMOVES) using Rasch analysis

“…For a measure to be classified as unidimensional, there should be no more than 5% of significant tests, or the lower bound of the binomial confidence interval should be less than 5% [52]. Rasch analysis is a more accurate and comprehensive measure of structural validity than factor analysis [55] and has been used previously to validate motor skill measures [56][57][58][59][60]. In the case that FUNMOVES was not multidimensional or had response dependency, items were removed.…”