Perceived motor competence in early childhood predicts perceived and actual motor competence in middle childhood

The study aims were to (1) identify perceived motor competence (PMC) and actual motor competence (AMC) profiles in children at two time points (early and middle childhood) 3 years apart, (2) explore transitions between the profiles from T1 to T2, and (3) investigate how PMC-AMC profiles at T1 differ in their mean values for AMC and PMC variables at T2. PMC was assessed by the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for young children (PMSC). At T1, AMC was measured with Test of Gross Motor Development–third version (TGMD-3), and at T2, a shortened TGMD-3 was used. To identify the PMC-AMC profiles using latent profile analysis, the Mplus statistical package (version 8.7) was u…

What factors relate to three profiles of perception of motor competence in young children?

The study aims were to 1) examine profiles of perception of motor competence (PMC) in relation to actual motor competence (AMC), i.e. under-estimators (UEs), realistic estimators (REs) and over-estimators (OEs) and 2) investigate associations between the profiles and selected socioecological factors at the individual, family and environmental levels. PMC (Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence) and AMC (Test of Gross Motor Development-Third Edition) were administered to a representative sample of children from 37 childcare centres in Finland (n=441;6.2±0.6yrs;52% boys). Socioecological factors were investigated using a parental questionnaire. The three profiles were formed b…

Who can best report on children's motor competence: Parents, teachers, or the children themselves?

Abstract Objective A positive perception of motor competence (MC) is important for children's health trajectory. It is purported that young children's perception is not well aligned with their actual ability. Alternative sources of perceptions are postulated from children's social context such as their parents or teachers. This study aims to analyse the associations among children's, parents' and Physical Education (PE) teachers' perception of children's MC and the children's actual MC, and whether these sources of information can report on children's actual MC. Design and method A convenience sample of 139 typically developed children (48.2% girls) from six schools participated in this cro…

Health benefits of participation in selected ‘hard’ martial arts for adults: A systematic review

Differences between young children’s actual, self-perceived and parent-perceived aquatic skills

As drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury/death in children worldwide, perceptions of their actual aquatic skills are of critical importance. Children’s self-perceptions may influence the risks they take, and parental perceptions may influence the degree of supervision deemed to be necessary for children in and around water. Accordingly, we examined the differences between young children’s actual, self-perceived and parent-perceived aquatic skills. Using a three-way repeated measures ANCOVA, we analyzed data from 134 child-parent dyads (56.0% boys; M age = 7.1, SD = 1.1 years; and 71.6% mothers). We measured self and parental perceptions of the child’s aquatic skills with the …

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

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 w…

Validity and reliability of a pictorial scale of physical self-concept in spanish children. [Validez y fiabilidad de la escala pictográfica de autoconcepto físico en niños y niñas españoles].

The pictorial scale of Physical Self-Concept in Children (P-PSC-C) is a relatively new instrument for investigating physical self-concept in childhood. The current study aims to examine the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the P-PSC-C, and also to analyse the validity according to the children’s age. A sample of 365 primary school age (M = 9.21, SD = 1.92) students participated; divided in two groups, those aged 9 or younger and those 10-11 years old. Surveys were used to assess perceived physical concept individually. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with diagonally weighted least square estimator specifically designed for ordinal data and a scaled test statistic was co…

Fundamental Movement Skills: An Important Focus

Purpose:Recent international conference presentations have critiqued the promotion of fundamental movement skills (FMS) as a primary pedagogical focus. Presenters have called for a debate about the importance of, and rationale for teaching FMS, and this letter is a response to that call. The authors of this letter are academics who actively engage in FMS research.Method:We have answered a series of contentions about the promotion of FMS using the peer reviewed literature to support our perspective.Results:We define what we mean by FMS, discuss the context of what skills can be considered fundamental, discuss how the development of these skills is related to broader developmental health cont…

Perceived movement skill competence in stability: Validity and reliability of a pictorial scale in early adolescents.

Perceived motor competence (PMC) is important to health as it mediates the association between actual motor competence (AMC) and physical activity. Many instruments assess the broader construct of physical self-perception but no scale has been developed to assess PMC in stability. The aim of this study was to develop and analyze the reliability and validity of a new pictorial PMC in stability skill assessment when completed by early adolescents. A Delphi method showed ≥70% of experts' consensus in the seven proposed items. A sample of 904 students (11-14 years old) self-reported PMC in locomotion, object control, and stability using two pictorial scales: Perceived Movement Skill Competence …

Identifying profiles of children at risk of being less physically active: an exploratory study using a self-organised map approach for motor competence

This study aims to develop profiles in children according to physical fitness, actual and perceived motor competence, and to examine the level of engagement in physical activity and weight status according to these profiles. In the study, 156 typically developing Spanish children (47.4% girls) of primary school age (5-11 years-old) participated voluntarily. Children's perceived and actual motor competence, physical fitness, physical activity participation and weight status were assessed. A Self-Organising Map and K-means cluster analysis were used to classify and visualise the values. Four profiles were found: profile 2 was aligned - high capacity, high perception, profile 1 was partially a…

The new version of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence in Spanish children: Evidence of validity and reliability. [La nueva versión de la escala pictográfica de Percepción de Competencia de Habilidades Motrices in niños y niñas españoles: Evidencias de validez y fiabilidad].

The purpose of this study was to i) examine reliability and construct validity of the pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC) aligned to the third version of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) in a sample of Spanish children; and to ii) analyse the validity of the PMSC and children’s perceived motor competence (MC) according to gender. A convenience sample of 361 children (55.7% boys) between 4 and 11 years-old participated. The pictorial scale of PMSC (19 items) was administered (a random subsample repeated the PMSC twice). Test-retest reliability using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients and construct validity using a Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling a…

Face and Content Validity of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Water Competence in Young Children

An international group of experts have developed a pictorial tool to measure perceived water competence for children aged from 5 to 8 years old: the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Water Competence (PSPWC). The aim of the present study was to verify the validity of this tool. In the first part of the study, 120 children were interviewed to investigate face validity of the PSPWC to ensure that all pictorial items were understandable. In the second part of the study, 13 scientific and/or pedagogical international experts were invited to assess the tool’s content validity via an online survey. Face validity results revealed that children were able to understand and sequence correctly the aq…

Construct validity and reliability of the physical activity parenting questionnaire for children (PAP-C)

Background Children’s perception of parenting is hypothesised to significantly affect their physical activity (PA). This study aimed to examine construct validity, factorial invariance and reliability of a new tool: Physical Activity Parenting questionnaire for Children (PAP-C). Methods PAP-C comprised 22 items hypothesised to cover 3 theory-guided factors of physical activity parenting (PAP)—namely, structure for activity, autonomy support and involvement. Construct validity and internal consistency of PAP-C were tested using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and composite reliability in a sample of Finnish first, second- and third graders (n = 456; mean age 8.77 ± 0.84 years, girls 51.1%…

Examining early adolescents' motivation for physical education : associations with actual and perceived motor competence

Background: The dynamic nature of physical education (PE) requires careful consideration of lesson planning and delivery in order to promote health and wellbeing and to achieve various learning goals. One such goal is promoting personal and social development to support students to value and lead a healthy and active lifestyle, especially during transition into adolescence. In order to design learning environments that support students' engagement in PE, it is important to understand how outcomes such as motor competence (MC) influence motivation for PE. There are two approaches to understand MC, actual and perceived MC, and both have implications for healthy lifestyles in childhood and ado…

Health benefits of hard martial arts in adults: a systematic review.

Participation in organized sports is promoted as a means of increasing physical activity levels and reducing chronic disease risk in adults. Hard martial arts practice (i.e. using body contact techniques), has gained in popularity over time. This review explores the evidence for health benefits of "hard" martial arts practice within the adult population. A systematic electronic database search was conducted, and quality assessments applied the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria, examining balance, cognitive function, muscular skeletal status, psychological, cardiovascular fitness, and metabolic effects. The majority of studies repo…

Profiling children longitudinally: A three-year follow-up study of perceived and actual motor competence and physical fitness.

Longitudinal designs enhance our understanding of children's development and its influence on movement behaviors and health. This three-year follow-up study aimed to develop profiles according to perceived and actual motor competence (MC) (locomotion, object control, and overall) and physical fitness in boys and girls longitudinally including children's temporal migrations among clusters in terms of profiling trends. A secondary aim was to compare physical activity participation and weight status at each time point according to these profiles. One hundred and four typically developing Spanish children (45.8% girls) between 4 and 9 years old at baseline participated in this study. Data were …