A study of the relation between children's motor ability and their other special characteristics (from the psychologlical and social point of view)

Abstract

This study makes it clear that what kinds of motor ability take part in children's mental and physical characteristics, by investigating their special characteristics in relation to their motor ability. As a useful fundamental datum in sports pedagogy, this study might propose some questions over old teaching methods and be an indicator to sports pedagogy of the future. The number of samples, however, is so small that the investgation is unable to take the factor-analytic and statistic method and only shows some facts.It seems that in modern daily life “play” element plays only a small part in children's physical exercise, and it can be said that physical education plays a large part in it. But physical exercise for some play naturally promotes the motor ability needed for it and makes the motor quantity per hour large. The quicker in motion, the better. Because quick motion can give the exercise room enough not to be tight and make it interesting or even agreeable. Physical exercise for some play also brings both mutual help and the competitive spirit among children. It must be added that their delight would be redoubled when they have mastered it. The point is whether they can keep carrying it out until they master it. In order to keep on, great efforts should be made and the efforts cultivate endurance which develops motor ability from a physical point of view and makes the exercise interesting and agreeable from a psychological point of view.On the contrary, motor-ability tests have too much to do with physical education. They seem to have no relation to psychological and social characters cultivated in daily life, except some peculiar ones. The function test of riding a monocycle, for example, seems to show no relation between the the pliable synthetic coordination to control one's body and the physical ability which physical education arms at.Anyway, three things can be thought helpful in solving the problem:1. Using the factor-analytic method with many samples2. Applying some types to children from physical and psychological point of view (ex. “ego” or “super-ego”)3. Using case-study at the same time