Assessing Elementary School Students' Manipulative Skill Competency in China

This study aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Physical Education (PE) Metric Assessment Rubrics for assessing 4th-grade students' manipulative skill competency and examine how well they demonstrated manipulative skill competency. Participants were 4th-grade students at six elementary schools in China. A total of 535 4th-grade students were assessed their soccer skills and 819 4th-grade students were assessed their basketball skills using the PE-Metric Assessment Rubrics. The results found that the soccer and basketball skill assessments had a high degree of internal consistency. And the results showed that the soccer and basketball skill assessment rubrics had a good factor structure. The students' mean score in soccer and basketball skills assessment was lower than the Overall Competent Level. Further, the t-test indicated that soccer and basketball skill assessments had a significant difference in the mean score of Overall Competent Level between the boys and the girls. The PE-Metric Assessment Rubrics were valid and reliable assessment tools for assessing the manipulative skill competency in soccer and basketball skills among 4th-grade students in China. This study suggested that Chinese elementary school students need to improve basic manipulative skill competency in soccer and basketball skills.