Socioecological correlates of perceived motor competence in 5‐ to 7‐year‐old Finnish children

Abstract

We investigated child, family, and environmental factors associated with young children’s perceptions of locomotor (LM) and object control (OC) skills. The participants comprised 472 children (6.22 ± 0.63) and their parents. The children were assessed for their perception of motor competence in LM and OC skills (using the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children), and actual motor competence (Test of Gross Motor Development 3rd edition and Körperkoordinationstest Für Kinder). Anthropometrics were calculated using the children’s body mass index standard deviation scores. A parent questionnaire included questions about child factors (sex, child’s independent walking age, time spent sedentary and outdoors, participation in organized sport activities, and access to electronic devices), family factors (parent educational level, physical activity frequency, and sedentary behavior), and environmental factors (access to sport facilities). Variance analysis sought to identify age‐related differences, and a linear regression model examined correlates of children’s perception of LM and OC skills. The children’s movement skill perceptions were found to be generally high. Four factors explained 5.7% of the variance in perceptions of LM skills and 7.5% of the variance in perceptions of OC skills. Two factors, lower age and higher actual motor competence, explained most of the children’s skill perceptions. Access to electronic devices (less) and Body mass index (BMI) (higher) were associated with perceptions of LM skills. Participation in organized sport activities (higher) and parental education (lower) were associated with perceptions of OC skills. When promoting children’s physical activity and motor competence, perceptions of motor competence are an important consideration.

Investigating the Age-Related Association between Perceived Motor Competence and Actual Motor Competence in Adolescence

“…Regarding actual functional movements and PMC alignment ( Table 2 ), lower, aligned, and realistic PMC functional movement values were expected, as the success criteria for performance were shared with participants during assessment, in accordance with the FMS TM protocol [ 29 ]. As such, participants may have a greater understanding of what constitutes successful performance for the specific functional movement patterns, and therefore, they may be more aware when evaluating their work [ 84 , 85 ]. Mean perceived functional movement scores over 6 (out of 10) were found for all patterns, bar the rotary stability.…”

Individual, Family, and Environmental Correlates of Motor Competence in Young Children: Regression Model Analysis of Data Obtained from Two Motor Tests

“…Ten childcare centers (27%) declined to participate due to a lack of space, interest, time, or a low number of children. The aim of the Skilled Kids study and the recruitment process have been described in detail in previous studies [33,40,41]. For the recruited childcare centers, the respective directors first approved the participation, and the staff was informed about the study.…”

“…The TGMD-3 protocol was carefully followed according to the manual described previously [33,40]. TGMD-3 has been demonstrated to have a good to excellent intra-rater and inter-rater reliability [43], and it is valid and reliable both internationally [13,45] and in the Finnish context [33,40]. Within this study sample, the inter-rater reliability of the TGMD-3 gross motor index was 0.88 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.85-0.92), tested among 167 children [40].…”

Gender differences in the rate of motor activity of senior (older) preschool children

“…In a number of studies, the problem of reducing motor activity and muscle effort is justified by social factors [3,4,6,7,8,9]. This is most often associated with the realities of modern civilization: physical inactivity, changing interests, new forms of leisure (computer games, watching TV, etc.)…”

“…lead to a decrease in motor activity. This is noted in the works of Komkov a high interest in optimizing motor activity and making programs, taking into account social factors that characterize the educational process in various countries of the world [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”