Influence of a Motor Skill Intervention on Fundamental Motor Skill Development of Disadvantaged Preschool Children

TLDR

Disadvantaged preschoolers frequently show developmental delays in fundamental motor skills. The study examined whether a 12‑week motor skill intervention improves fundamental motor skill development in these children. Researchers measured object control and locomotor subscales of the Test of Gross Motor Development before and after the intervention in both intervention and control groups. The intervention group showed significantly greater gains in locomotor and object control scores than the control group, indicating the program effectively enhanced fundamental motor skills.

Abstract

Abstract The influence of a 12-week (24, 45-min motor sessions) motor skill intervention on fundamental motor skill (FMS) development of disadvantaged preschoolers was examined. Pre-and postintervention measures of the object control (OC) and locomotor subscales of the Test of Gross Motor Development were obtained for both groups. Prior to the intervention, developmental delays in FMS were reported. Two separate 2×2 (Group × Pre-Postintervention) analyses of variance with repeated measures yielded a significant Group × Pre-Postintervention interaction for locomotor, F(l, 57) = 134.23, p = .000, h2=. 70, and OC, F(1, 5) = 161.55, p =. 000, h2 =. 74) skills. Compared to the Control group, the motor skill intervention group revealed significantly higher locomotor and OC scores following the intervention than prior to the intervention.