Gender Differences in Motor Skill Proficiency From Childhood to Adolescence

TLDR

Early development of object control skills predicts later proficiency, underscoring the importance of childhood skill training. The study assessed object control and locomotor skills in 2000 and again in 2006–07 among New South Wales students, with 266 participants (138 girls, 128 boys) re‑evaluated at adolescence. Boys outperformed girls in object control, and childhood proficiency strongly predicted adolescent proficiency (r² = 0.39); gender was significant but did not alter this predictive relationship.

Abstract

Students' proficiency in three object control and three locomotor skills were assessed in 2000 (M age = 10.06 years, SD = 0.63) in New South Wales, Australia and in 2006–07 (M age = 16.44 years, SD = 0.64). In 2006–07, 266 students, 138 girls (51.9%) and 128 boys (48.1%), had at least one skill reassessed. Boys were more object control proficient than girls. Childhood object control proficiency significantly predicted (p = .001) adolescent object control proficiency (r2 = .39), and, while gender was significant (p = .001), it did not affect the relationship between these variables (p = .53). Because childhood object control proficiency is predictive of subsequent object control proficiency, developing skills in childhood is important.