A window of opportunity? Motor skills and perceptions of competence of children in Kindergarten

Mark Legear,Buffy-Lynne Williams,Rick I Bell,Patti-Jean Naylor,Viviene A Temple,Lizette Greyling,Erin Sloan

doi:10.1186/1479-5868-9-29

Abstract

BackgroundOur aim was to examine the relationship between motor skill proficiency and perceptions of competence of children in their first year of school. We also explored gender-based differences.FindingsParticipants were 260 kindergarten children (mean age = 5y 9 m; boys = 52%) from eight schools; representing 78% of eligible children in those schools. Motor skills were measured using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and perceptions of physical competence were assessed using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for Young Children. Motor skill scores were generally low (percentile ranks ranged from 16 - 24) but perceptions of physical competence were positive (boys = 18.1/24.0, girls = 19.5/24.0). A MANOVA showed a significant overall effect for gender (Wilk's lambda = .84 with F (3, 254) = 15.84, p < 0.001) and univariate F tests were significant for all outcome variables. The relationship between object control skills and perceptions of physical competence among girls was not significant; however all other correlations were modest but significant.ConclusionsAlthough motor skill levels were quite low, the children generally held positive perceptions of their physical competence. These positive perceptions provide a window of opportunity for fostering skillfulness. The modest relationships between perceptions of competence and motor skill proficiency suggest that the children are beginning to make self-judgments at a young age. Accordingly, opportunities for children to become and feel physically competent need to occur early in their school or preschool life.

Highlights

Our aim was to examine the relationship between motor skill proficiency and perceptions of competence of children in their first year of school
The modest relationships between perceptions of competence and motor skill proficiency suggest that the children are beginning to make self-judgments at a young age
Emerging evidence suggests that motor skill competence as well as children’s perceptions of their competence are influential in explaining their engagement and disengagement in physical activity

Summary

Introduction

Our aim was to examine the relationship between motor skill proficiency and perceptions of competence of children in their first year of school. Stodden and colleagues [15] modeled some of this complexity These authors proposed that motor competence, not just perceptions of motor competence, was at the heart of a developmental model that might explain participation in physical activity. They suggested that children with poor motor competence have low self-efficacy toward participation. Low self-efficacy subsequently mediates perceptions of competence, which in turn, influences the child’s desire to engage with physical activity. These perceptions of competence change from early to middle childhood. Evidence shows that intervention at this young age can produce significant and meaningful improvements in motor skill proficiency [19,20,21] and positively influence perceptions of competence and self-esteem [22]

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