The influence of development coordination disorder (DCD) on the self-concept and anxiety of 7-9 year-old children

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Literature indicates that children who experience motor problems may have a lower self-concept (Skinner & Piek, 2001) as well as higher anxiety (Rose et al., 1999) than children without movement problems. The aim of this study was to determine whether Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) has an influence on 7-9 year old children's self-concept and anxiety and to determine whether the extent of their motor problems will influence their self-concept and anxiety differently. Teachers identified 201 potential DCD candidates. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (Henderson & Sugden, 1992) identified 66 with DCD (41 boys and 25 girls). Self-concept and anxiety were determined by the Tennessee Self- Concept Scale (Child Form) (Fitts & Warren, 1996) and Child Anxiety Scale (Gillis, 1980) respectively. A correlation matrix as well as independent t-tests were conducted in analyzing the results. Correlational analysis indicates relationships between motor proficiency, anxiety and self- concept. Children with moderate and severe DCD have normal anxiety but a non-significantly lower self-concept score than what is indicated as the normal range. Children with severe and moderate DCD do not, however, differ statistically significantly from one another with regard to anxiety and self-concept. Girls with severe DCD have a moderately significantly lower moral self- concept (p=0.09) than girls with moderate DCD. The results show that the self-concept of children between 7 and 9 years of age are negatively influenced by DCD. However, the severity of their motor problems does not influence their self- concept and anxiety differently, although a tendency of this was found among the girls, especially with regard to their moral self-concept. Keywords : self-concept, children, DCD African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance Vol. 12 (3) 2006: 310-322