Perceived and Real Aquatic Competence in Children from 6 to 10 Years Old

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between perceived aquatic competence (PAC) and real aquatic competence (RAC) in 6 to 10 year old children in skills identified as relevant for surviving an aquatic accident. The study sample consisted of 105 children (8.2 + 1.3 years old). Two age groups were examined separately [G1, 6 to 7 years (n = 53); G2, 8 to 10 years (n = 52)]. Children’s aquatic competence was evaluated twice for skills linked to the risk of drowning: Firstly, using a common swimsuit (simple condition) and secondly wearing a t-shirt (complex condition). The PAC was assessed by questionnaire interview. Pearson correlation coefficients, pairwise, and independent t-test comparisons were performed with a significance level of 5%. Similar levels of PAC were found among both age groups for all measured skills, excepted for breath control during swimming (p < 0.05). However, PAC differs significantly (p < 0.001) from RAC (in simple and complex conditions) only in G1. Correlations between PAC and RAC were modest for all measured skills in both age-groups. Significant differences were found between RAC in simple and complex conditions in both groups (p < 0.01). Age contributes to a higher perceived aquatic competence in skills related to the risk of drowning.

Differences between Young Children’s Actual, Self-perceived and Parent-perceived Aquatic Skills

“…Taking into account the score range of our perfectly aligned assessment tools (see Estevan & Barnett, 2018 for a discussion on the importance of aligning instruments), it can be suggested that these young children generally hold a fairly realistic estimate of their aquatic skills. Yet, our participants’ somewhat lower perceptions are in contrast to recent findings from Costa et al. (2020).…”

“…Despite the importance of accurate self-perception and parent-perception of a child’s aquatic skills, only limited research to date has focused on the relationship, and more importantly, the degree of (dis)agreement between these perceptions and children’s actual aquatic skill levels (e.g., Costa et al., 2020; De Pasquale et al., 2020). This limited research on aquatic skills is in stark contrast with the ever-increasing reports of actual and perceived motor competence on dry land (De Meester et al., 2020; Estevan & Barnett, 2018; Hulteen et al., 2020).…”

“…Given that many aquatic skills, such as self-propulsion in water, are essential for survival (Langendorfer, 2015) and that swimming is considered a foundational skill for lifelong physical activity engagement (Audrey et al, 2012;Hulteen et al, 2018), this topic clearly warrants more scientific investigation from an early age onwards. Costa et al (2020) recently showed that 6-10 year-old children's perceived aquatic competence differed significantly from their actual aquatic competence in most skills identified as relevant for surviving an aquatic accident. Moreover, these authors found that younger children are more likely to overestimate their actual aquatic skill levels, potentially endangering this population.…”

Children’s Perceived and Actual Physical Activity Levels within the Elementary School Setting

“…This study highlights the need to educate children on the definitions and examples of differing PA intensities. Previous work has highlighted the difficulties children and adults have in understanding the differences between actual and perceived measures [ 3 , 4 ]. Although accelerometers are expensive and require technical expertise and additional software to analyse the data they collect effectively, they, along with other objective measures (pedometers or smart technology/smart watches), could help contribute to children’s awareness, knowledge and understanding of what they are doing [ 52 ].…”

“…International research has indicated observing and understanding one’s own physical activity correctly is universally difficult for children [ 3 ]. This difficulty between PPA and APA has been identified in a variety of ways, most recently when young children are learning aquatic skills [ 4 ], as well as inconsistencies in their accuracy to estimate their ability to perform physical tasks [ 5 ].…”