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Abstract
Irish adolescents have been found to possess high perceptions of motor competence. However, there is an evidential value to investigating the strength of the relationship between adolescent perceptions of motor competence and their low levels of actual motor competence. The purpose of this research was to gather data on the fundamental, functional, and perceived motor competence in adolescents, differentiated by year group, to discern if participants could assess their perceptions of ability. Data were collected on adolescents (N = 373; mean age: 14.38 ± 0.87 years; 47.7% female) across six second-level schools in Ireland, including measurements of fundamental movement skills, functional movement, and perceived motor competence. Poor levels of fundamental and functional movement were observed, with significant differences between year groups detected. Participants in 1st year scored the highest in overall fundamental movement skills; however, for overall functional movement, 3rd-year participants scored highest. High levels of perceived motor competence were reported across the entire sample. These scores did not align with actual motor competence, nor did any alignment between these measurements improve with aging, countering theorized age-related associations. Future research should target low levels of actual motor competence while emphasizing the cognitive aspects of movement to ensure greater accuracy between actual and perceived motor competence.
Highlights
Global adolescent physical activity (PA) levels remain at disconcertingly low levels, with few signs of future improvements [1]
The low level of actual motor competence (AMC) in both fundamental and functional movement among the Irish adolescent population indicates the need for developmentally appropriate activities and effective teaching strategies that would ameliorate these movement deficiencies
Teachers in primary school physical education (PE) or in after-school PE programs at the primary level may need to be considered to ensure students enter the second level with appropriate fundamental movement skills (FMS) ability, since the current practice of generalist classroom teachers teaching PE has proved ineffective in developing FMS
Summary
Global adolescent physical activity (PA) levels remain at disconcertingly low levels, with few signs of future improvements [1]. As low PA levels are associated with a higher degree of obesity and an increased risk of non-communicable diseases, increasing PA levels must become a vital part of future initiatives to improve the health status of future generations [2]. Irish PA participation levels for children and youth remain perilously low, with only 13% meeting current recommendations of 60 min of PA per day [3]. Childhood and adolescent PA patterns typically subsist throughout the lifespan, clearly underlining the importance of establishing an active lifestyle as early as possible [4]. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 6361; doi:10.3390/ijerph17176361 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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