Examination of motor skill competency in students: evidence-based physical education curriculum

Feedback for Promoting Motor Skill Learning in Physical Education: A Trial Sequential Meta-Analysis

Feedback can be used as an effective teaching method in physical education (PE) to promote students' learning of motor skills. However, there is no objective synthetic evidence to support the role of feedback in PE. Additionally, the effect of each feedback subtype on students' motor skill learning is still unclear. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis (TSA) to evaluate the effects of feedback and feedback subtypes on students' motor skill learning. Nine databases were searched through September 2022 to identify appropriate literature. Meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4 software and TSA was performed using TSA version 0.9.5.10 beta software. Fifteen studies were included. Feedback significantly improved students' motor skill learning in PE (SMD 0.47; 95% CI 0.01, 0.93; Z = 2.02; p = 0.04). The TSA confirmed the result of the meta-analysis. Sensitivity analyses showed that the subtypes of feedback, including visual feedback, visual combined verbal feedback, visual self-model, visual expert model, corrective feedback, and teacher-regulated feedback, significantly improved students' learning of motor skills. In contrast, verbal, evaluative, and informational feedback did not produce changes in motor skill learning. Both complex and simple motor skills were improved by feedback. The use of feedback in PE benefits motor skill learning, regardless of whether the motor skills are complex or simple.

Use of Observational Learning to Promote Motor Skill Learning in Physical Education: A Systematic Review

Observational learning is an effective pedagogical approach that can influence students' motor skill development at every level of physical education (PE). This study aimed to systematically summarize the evidence on observational learning for motor skill learning in PE and to generalize the evidence on the effect of model formats and verbal cues during observational learning. An electronic search of eight databases was conducted. Eighteen studies were included and their methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale. Best evidence synthesis (BES) was used to assess levels of evidence. Strong evidence supported the effect of observational learning on students' motor skill learning compared to students who did not participate in observational learning. Moderate evidence suggested that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of observing an expert model compared to a self-model. Conflicting evidence was identified for the effect of the presence of verbal cues compared to the absence of verbal cues during observational learning. The results suggest that observational learning is useful for students' motor skill learning in PE. Given the influences of potential factors, we recommend that future studies investigate how observational learning interacts with verbal cues on students' motor skill learning.

Genuine Movement Learning Through a Deleuzian Approach

The purpose of the article is to outline how Deleuzian concepts, notably the notions of apprenticeship in signs based on a pedagogy of the concept, can stimulate thinking and understanding of movement learning, and provide insights about pedagogical implications in various movement educational settings. Methodologically, the article falls somewhere in between theoretical exposition and presentation of original empirical research, i.e., a "theoreticoempirical" exposition. We borrowed some ideas formulated by Deleuze (and Guattari), which have been further developed by educational researchers, about "an apprenticeship in signs" based on "a pedagogy of the concept," to analyse situations where students explore new movements. We use material generated from pedagogical interventions comprising of exploration of kinescapes. In these interventions, school and university students are encouraged to explore, and learn, juggling, unicycling and dancing. Findings indicate how students pass through interpretative illusions until some of them grasp difference in itself in what could be called its immanent differentiation of the actual, i.e., they learn how to juggle, unicycle or dance. This is what we designate genuine learning. The triadic relation between concepts, percepts and affects offer us clues to what juggling, unicycling or dancing mean to learners (concepts), what learners pay attention to while practising (percepts), and what gets them moving (affects). Importantly, through viewing learning as an apprenticeship in signs, the Deleuzian approach reminds us that the triadic relation is open-ended, meaning that concepts, percepts and affects are never final but always a potential actualisation. Concepts, percepts and affects are constantly in the process of becoming. Since genuine learning is not about narrowing down how a movement should be executed and experienced, the task of a movement educator could, then, be to accompany learners in explorative pursuits. In this way, teachers can help learners escape preconceptions about movements (who can do what and when) and instead explore new movement opportunities.

Relationship between motor fitness, fundamental movement skills, and quality of movement patterns in primary school children

Seefeldt`s classic motor development pyramid model recognizes the significance of fundamental movement skills (FMS) in physical activities and proposes a "proficiency barrier" between FMS and higher-level specific sports skills during middle childhood. However, the relationship between the layers of the conceptual model has not been empirically tested. This study investigated motor fitness (MF), FMS, and quality of movement patterns (QMP) in 7-10 years old children and evaluated the relationships among them. A total of 117 children were randomly selected to take tests of MF, the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2), and the Functional Movement Screen (FMS™). MF and FMS levels were classified according to percentile ranges. Two multiple (R×C) Chi-Square tests were applied to analyze the relationships between MF, FMS, and QMP. Post-hoc testing estimated the possibility of FMS and QMP to predict MF. The results showed that boys scored significantly higher on the object-control subtest and on the TGMD-2 compared to girls (p<0.001), while girls scored significantly higher on the FMS™ (p = 0.001). FMS score and QMP level were weakly correlated with MF (FMS: χ2 = 14.605, p = 0.006, Cramer`s V = 0.25; QMP: χ2 = 13.943, p = 0.007, Cramer`s V = 0.24). Thus, 60.5% of children with "excellent" FMS and 59.6% with "high" QMP were categorized as having a "good" MF. In contrast, only 23.1% of children with "poor" FMS and 24.3% with "low" QMP were classified as having a "good" MF. Our results confirm MF, FMS, and QMP are correlated with each other, although this relationship is weak. Further, a possible motor skill proficiency barrier exists already in children 7-10 years old. The study results support the promotion of physical activity and motor skill development in primary school children.

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.

Assessing the Internal Reliability and Construct Validity of the General Movement Competence Assessment for Children

Validated assessment tools for movement competence typically involve the isolation and reproduction of specific movement forms, which arguably neglects individuals’ ability to combine and adapt movements to overcome constraints within a dynamic environment. A new movement assessment tool, the General Movement Competence Assessment (GMCA), was developed for this study using Microsoft Kinect. Movement competence of 83 children (36 boys and 47 girls), aged 8–10 years (9.06 ± 0.75 years) was measured using the GMCA. An exploratory approach was undertaken to examine the internal consistency reliability (McDonald’s omega coefficient) and factorial structure of the GMCA for the study sample. Factorial structure was determined using exploratory factor analysis by principal component analysis with varimax rotation. For the sample data, reliability for the GMCA games were acceptable (ω = 0.53–0.89) and indicated that combinations of movement attributes were measured by GMCA games. Factorial analysis extracted four movement constructs accounting for 71.31% of variance. Dexterity was tentatively identified as a new independent construct alongside currently accepted movement constructs (i.e., locomotion, object-control, stability). While further development of the GMCA is still required, initial results are encouraging in view of an objective and theoretically informed approach to assess general movement competence in children.

Unilateral Elbow Flexion and Leg Press Training Induce Cross-Education But Not Global Training Gains in Children

PURPOSE

Whereas cross-education has been extensively investigated with adults, there are far fewer youth investigations. Two studies suggested that children had greater global responses to unilateral knee extensor fatigue and training, respectively, than adults. The objective of this study was to compare global training responses and cross-education effects after unilateral elbow flexion (EFlex) and leg press (LP) training.

METHODS

Forty-three prepubertal youths (aged 10-13 y) were randomly allocated into dominant LP (n = 15), EFlex (n = 15) training groups, or a control (n = 13). Experimental groups trained 3 times per week for 8 weeks and were tested pretraining and posttraining for ipsilateral and contralateral 1-repetition maximum LP; knee extensor, knee flexors, elbow flexors; and handgrip maximum voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC), and countermovement jump.

RESULTS

In comparison to no significant changes with the control group, dominant elbow flexors training demonstrated significant ( P < .001) improvements only with ipsilateral and contralateral upper body testing (EFlex MVIC [15.9-21.5%], EFlex 1-repetition maximum [22.9-50.8%], handgrip MVIC [5.5-13.8%]). Dominant LP training similarly exhibited only significant ( P < .001) improvements for ipsilateral and contralateral lower body testing (LP 1-repetition maximum [59.6-81.8%], knee extensor MVIC [12.4-18.3%], knee flexor MVIC [7.9-22.3%], and countermovement jump [11.1-18.1%]).

CONCLUSIONS

The ipsilateral and contralateral training adaptations in youth were specific to upper or lower body training, respectively.