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Physical activity, motor development and self-concept: race and age differences
Insights
Organized physical activity boosts elementary students' motor skills and self-concept. While motor skills improved with grade, self-concept declined in older grades, with no ethnic differences observed.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Motor Skill Acquisition
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Physical activity is crucial for children's development.
- Understanding the impact on motor skills and self-concept is important for educators and parents.
- Previous research highlights the benefits of exercise for cognitive and physical health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine how organized physical activity influences body coordination and self-concept in elementary school children.
- To assess developmental trends across grade levels and ethnic groups.
- To identify potential correlations between motor development and self-concept.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 344 Black and White elementary students.
- Utilized the Schilling Body Coordination Test and Martinek-Zaichkowsky Self-concept Scale for Children.
- Compared a group participating in a physical activity program with a control group.
Main Results:
- Participants in the physical activity program showed significantly higher motor development and self-concept scores.
- Motor skills improved linearly with grade level, with higher gains in Grades 2-5 compared to Grade 1.
- Self-concept scores declined significantly in Grades 3-5; no significant ethnic differences were found, though a grade-race interaction emerged in motor development.
Conclusions:
- Organized physical activity positively impacts elementary students' body coordination and self-concept.
- While motor skills progress with age, self-concept may decline in later elementary years.
- Interventions should consider age-related changes and ensure equitable benefits across ethnic groups.
Abstract:
To investigate the effect of organized physical activity on the development of specific motor skills (body coordination and self-concept) of elementary age children, 344 children from the ethnic origins, black and white, were administered the Schilling Body Coordination Test and the Martinek-Zaichkowsky Self-concept Scale for Children. Motor development (body coordination) and self-concept scores were significantly higher for the group who participated in the physical activity program than for controls who did not. There was a linear trend in motor skill improvement, with Grades 2, 3, 4, and 5 showing significantly higher gains than Grade 1. The self-concept scores indicated a significant decline for Grades 3, 4, and 5. There were no significant differences between blacks and whites. A two-way interaction was found between grade and race in motor development, with blacks demonstrating lower mean scores than whites in Grade 2 but higher mean scores in Grade 5. Correlations between self-concept and motor development were non-significant.