Children with high actual and perceived motor skill competence are more physically active: A pooled latent profile analysis of cross-sectional data

The aim was to determine profiles according to actual and perceived motor competence and provide a comparison of profiles according to moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) in children. Cross-sectional data were pooled from four Australian studies (481 children, 54.5% boys; 3.5 to 11.7 years). Motor skill competence, total, object control and locomotor (Test of Gross Motor Skill Development [TGMD)]), perceived motor skill (pictorial scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence [PMSC]) and MVPA (ActiGraph data) were assessed. Latent profile analyses identified actual and perceived skill profiles and covariate-adjusted associations with MVPA were then assessed for all children, for boys and girls. For total skills, the two-profile solution was the best fit for all children (81% 'high aligned', i.e., high perception, high skills; 19% 'low aligned, i.e., low perception, low skills') and for girls (71% 'high aligned'; 29% 'low aligned'). For boys, a three-profile solution was the best fit (49% 'under perceiver'- low perception, high skills; 42% 'over perceiver' - high perception, low skills; 9% 'low aligned'). For the total skill, children in the 'high aligned' profile (65.3 minutes) were 14.6 minutes/day more active than the "low aligned" profile (50.8 minutes). Intervention efforts should focus on the "low aligned" profile to increase physical activity.

Understanding School Children's Perceived Movement Skill Competence: Evidence of Validity and Reliability According to the Type of Administration

The purpose of this study was to analyze and interpret evidence-based scores of validity and reliability of the Pictorial Movement Skill Competence according to the procedure of assessment (i.e., one-on-one interview and supervised-guided group administration) in a cohort of children. A sample of 635 children (49.1% girls, 8.0-10.9 years old) participated. Confirmatory factor analyses and Rasch models were conducted to examine evidence of different forms of validity and reliability. In the current sample, each Confirmatory factor analyses three-factor Pictorial Movement Skill Competence model (locomotion, object control, and stability skills) was an adequate fit. There was good-to-excellent agreement between both types of administration and higher internal consistency for the group administration. Both methods of administration are appropriate to assess perceived motor competence with the group method showing better reliability in this sample. Supervised group administration is more efficient than the one-on-one interview and could be considered in future assessments with children older than 8-years-old.

Psychometric Properties of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence for Young Norwegian Children

The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence (PMSC) for young Norwegian children, a scale that is aligned with skills assessed in the Test of Gross Motor Development- Third Edition. We used convenience sampling to recruit 396 Norwegian-speaking children (7-10-year-olds) who completed the PMSC. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) confirmed factorial validity for the proposed three-factor model of the PMSC, encompassing measures of self-perceived ball, locomotor, and active play competence. Internal item consistency coefficients of these sub-scales were acceptable, and subsequent measurement invariant analysis found a gender difference such that boys rated their competence higher than girls in running, jumping forward, hitting a ball (racket), kicking, throwing a ball and rope climbing, while girls rated themselves higher, compared to boys, in galloping and skating/blading. Furthermore, there was a slightly better model fit for boys than for girls. Several items were significantly related to children's age, and the three-factor model exhibited differential age related factor mean differences across older and younger children. Overall, we found the PMSC to have acceptable psychometric properties for confident use in assessing perceived motor competence among 7-10-year-old Norwegian children, though we observed age and gender differences in children's responses that warrant careful interpretation of results and further research investigation.

Child perceived motor competence as a moderator between physical activity parenting and child objectively measured physical activity

This longitudinal study aimed to examine how physical activity parenting (PAP) directly predicted objectively measured children's moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentariness over a three-year transitional period from early to middle childhood, and second, whether the children's perception of motor competence (PMC) mediated or moderated the influence of PAP to children's MVPA or sedentariness. At time 1 (T1), PAP and children's (N = 396, mean age 5.80, SD 1.04) PA were assessed by parental questionnaire. Three years later, at time 2 (T2), children's (N = 396, mean age 8.80, SD 1.04) PMC was measured by a validated pictorial scale, and MVPA and sedentariness were measured by accelerometers. All the analyses were conducted using the Mplus statistical package (Version 8.4). The models were adjusted for the following covariates: children's PA (T1), gender (T1), age (T1), mean accelerometer measurement in hours per day (T2), and parents' education level (T1). Results showed that PAP at T1 did not significantly predict level of MVPA or sedentary time at T2 and, therefore, PMC did not mediate the PAP-children's MVPA or sedentary time relationship either. However, PMC significantly moderated the relationship between PAP and MVPA but not between PAP and sedentary time. The results suggested that parental support positively predicts children's MVPA among children with low PMC but not among children with high PMC. This unique finding proposes that family-based PA interventions could benefit from screening of children with low PMC and provision of PA counselling to their parents.

Effects of Asian cultural values on parenting style and young children’s perceived competence: A cross-sectional study

Authoritarian parenting has long been associated with Western individualism and improved child development. This study examined the relationship between cultural values, parenting styles, and children’s perceived competence in Hong Kong. A total of 48 parents from local Chinese families, 49 parents from South Asian families, and 105 children (24 local Chinese and 81 South Asian) aged 5–6 years participated in the study. Self-report questionnaires on adherence to Asian cultural values and parenting style were administered to parents. The Pictorial Survey on Children’s Perceived Competence was administered to children by trained research assistants. The results contradicted two long-standing assumptions on Asian cultural values and parenting styles. First, higher adherence to Asian cultural values increased the likelihood of having an authoritarian parenting style. Second, authoritative parenting practices were more likely be associated with improved social–emotional competence in children. Multiple regression analyzes revealed a strong positive correlation between Asian cultural values and authoritative parenting style (R² = 0.597). There was no association between parenting style and the development of competence in young children. However, a positive correlation was found between Asian cultural values and young children’s perceived competence. This study showed that components of collectivism and humility in Asian cultural values could have functional values that are essential for developing competencies in South Asian young children but not in local Chinese young children. This study discussed the implications of cultural values sin the terms of contextualization, functional relevance of cultural values for ethnic minorities, and ideal parenting practices.

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 based on age- and gender-adjusted PMC and AMC z-scores. Multinomial logistic regression showed that OEs (n=81; p=0.04) tended to be younger than REs (n=306; p=0.04) and UEs (n=54; p=0.03). Parents of OEs reported more child health and developmental issues than parents of REs (p=0.03). Parents of UEs self-reported providing more support for physical activity than parents' of REs (p=0.04). REs tended to live in denser population areas than UEs (n=54; p=0.03). Whilst PMC profiles revealed some socioecological differences, future research needs to focus on a broader range of potential correlates and untangle methodological analyses challenges to deepen the knowledge about PMC development in children.

Pictorial Scale of Physical Self-Concept for Brazilian Children: Validity and Reliability

This study aimed to translate the Pictorial Scale of Physical Self-Concept for Brazilian Children (PSPPS-BR) into the Brazilian-Portuguese language, conduct a transcultural adaptation of it, and investigate its validity. Method: The authors adopted the reverse translation procedures to obtain the PSPPS-BR’s Brazilian-Portuguese version. Three motor behavior experts assessed the scale items’ clarity and pertinence. Ten professionals participated in the face validity study. Children (N = 300; 150 girls and 150 boys; 8–10 years old; Mage = 9.0, SD = 0.81) were randomly selected from six schools in Brazil and assessed using the PSPPS-BR, the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Movement Skill Competence, and the Self-Perception Profile for Children. The children (N = 100) were reassessed for test–retest reliability. Results: High clarity and pertinence agreement among experts (content validity coefficient from 98.4% to 100%; Gwet’s agreement coefficient from .85 to 1.00, p < .001) and among professionals (content validity coefficient clarity: 83–100%, relevance: 90–100%) were obtained. The confirmatory factorial analysis showed adequate model fits (root mean square error of approximation = .067; comparative fit index = .968; Tukey–Lewis index = .949). Polychoric correlations showed an adequate internal consistency for total scale (α = .78) and items (alpha from .73 to .78). The intraclass coefficient correlation shown strong test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient > .95). Conclusion: The PSPPS-BR showed adequate validity and reliability for Brazilian children.

The Validity and Reliability of Scales to Measure Perceived Movement Skill Competence in Iranian Young Children

The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Perceived Movement Skill Competence scales for Iranian children. In particular, the scales aligned with the second and third versions of the Test of Gross Motor Development and the active play skills. The total sample was 314 children aged 4–8 years (Mage = 6.1 years, SD = 1.1). From this, a random sample of 74 were recruited for face validity. The data from the remaining 240 children were used to establish construct validity using Bayesian Structural Equation Modeling. The data from a second random subsample of 126 children were used to investigate Perceived Movement Skill Competence reliability using ordinal alpha coefficients and intraclass correlations coefficients. The majority of children correctly identified the skills and understood most of the pictures. Internal consistency was very good (from 0.81 to 0.95) for all scales and subscales. Test–retest reliability was excellent with intraclass correlation coefficient values above .85. For construct validity, the initial hypothesized models for three-factor (i.e., locomotor, object control, and play skills) and two-factor (i.e., locomotor and object control) models showed a reasonable fit. The pictorial scales for Perceived Movement Skill Competence are valid and reliable for Iranian young children.

Conceptualising and testing the relationship between actual and perceived motor performance: A cross-cultural comparison in children from Australia and Germany

Previous studies investigating the relationship between motor skill, physical activity and fitness in children have not thoroughly considered the role of self-perception. Therefore, the study aim was to test a theoretical framework, which considered both actual and perceived motor skill as well as actual and perceived fitness. Potential moderating effects of sex and country were considered. Data on motor skill, fitness, as well as self-perception of motor skill and fitness were collected from 145 Australian children and 214 German children (age range 7 to 10 years). For actual motor skill and fitness, mean differences for sex, age and country were found. For perceived motor performance (perceived motor skill and perceived fitness) no mean differences were found for age. Path analyses were performed. The final model showed significant relations between actual performance (object control skill, fitness) and perceived performance (object control skill, fitness). All model paths had low to moderate regression weights with the lowest relationship reported between actual and perceived fitness. Sex and country showed no effects. This integrated approach has led to a better understanding of the relationship between children's perceived and objective performance, and cultural differences within them.

Does Perception of Motor Competence Mediate Associations between Motor Competence and Physical Activity in Early Years Children?

OBJECTIVES

To examine if the relationship between physical activity (PA) and actual motor competence (MC) in British early years children is mediated by their perceived MC.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional convenience observational study.

METHODOLOGY

MC was assessed with six locomotor skills (LC) and six object-control skills (OC) via the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. PA was measured via a wrist-worn triaxial accelerometer and PA grouped as daily total PA (TPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). Perceived MC was assessed using the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Acceptance for Young Children. A total of 38 children (63% male; 37% female) aged between 3 and 6 years (5.41 ± 0.69) completed all assessments. Mediating impacts of perceived MC on the relationships between PA and MC were explored via backwards mediation regressions.

RESULTS

There were no mediating impacts of perceived MC on the relationship between PA and actual MC.

CONCLUSIONS

The relationship between actual MC and PA is not mediated by perceived MC in a small sample of British early years childhood.