The development of metacognitive knowledge of basic motor skill: walking

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Motor control
• Cognitive development

Background:

• Children's understanding of complex motor skills like walking develops over time.
• Metacognitive knowledge refers to an individual's understanding of their own cognitive processes.
• Investigating children's awareness of the essential components of normal walking provides insight into motor skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the development of metacognitive knowledge of walking in elementary school children.
• To determine how children of different ages (9, 11, and 13 years) perceive variations in walking patterns.
• To identify which features of normal walking children deem most important as they mature.

Main Methods:

• Sixty elementary school children (9, 11, 13 years) viewed videos of normal and altered walking patterns.
• Children rated six variations of partial walking, differing in key features (arm swing, leg swing, arm-leg coordination, distance traveled).
• Repeated measures ANOVA was used to analyze the children's ratings and perceptions.

Main Results:

• Children across all age groups could distinguish between normal and partial walking.
• Older children showed more differentiated understanding of the importance of specific walking features.
• By 13 years, leg swing was perceived as most crucial, followed by arm swing, arm-leg coordination, and distance traveled.

Conclusions:

• Children develop an awareness of the components of walking with age.
• Metacognitive knowledge regarding motor skills like walking is refined during childhood.
• Understanding the developmental trajectory of perceiving motor skill components can inform educational and therapeutic interventions.