Hypo-activity screening in school setting; examining reliability and validity of the Teacher Estimation of Activity...

It is well established that physical activity during childhood contributes to children's physical and psychological health. The aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the Teacher Estimation of Activity Form (TEAF) questionnaire as a screening tool among school-aged children in Israel. Six physical education teachers completed TEAF questionnaires of 123 children aged 5-12 years, 68 children (55%) with Typical Development (TD) and 55 children (45%) diagnosed with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). The Hebrew version of the TEAF indicates a very high level of internal consistency (α = .97). There were no significant gender differences. Significant differences were found between children with and without DCD attesting to the test's construct validity. Concurrent validity was established by finding a significant high correlation (r = .76, p < .01) between the TEAF and the Movement-ABC mean scores within the DCD group. The TEAF demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity estimates. It appears to be a promising standardized practical tool in both research and practice for describing information about school-aged children's involvement in physical activity. Further research is indicated with larger samples to establish cut-off scores determining what point identifies hypo activity in striated age groups. Furthermore, the majority of the participants in this study were boys, and further research is needed to include more girls for a better understanding of the phenomena of hypo activity.