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. 2022 Mar 8;9(3):375.
doi: 10.3390/children9030375.

Relationships between Athletic Motor Skill Competencies and Maturity, Sex, Physical Performance, and Psychological Constructs in Boys and Girls

Ben J Pullen  1 , Jon L Oliver  1   2   3 , Rhodri S Lloyd  1   2   4 , Camilla J Knight  2   5
Affiliations

Relationships between Athletic Motor Skill Competencies and Maturity, Sex, Physical Performance, and Psychological Constructs in Boys and Girls

Ben J Pullen et al. Children (Basel). .

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between athletic motor skill competencies (AMSC), maturation, sex, body mass index, physical performance, and psychological constructs (motivation to exercise, physical self-efficacy, and global self-esteem). Two-hundred and twenty-four children aged 11-13 years old were included in the study and sub-divided by sex. The athlete introductory movement screen (AIMS) and tuck jump assessment (TJA) were used to assess AMSC, while standing long jump distance assessed physical performance. Online surveys examined participants' motivation to exercise, physical self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Trivial to moderate strength relationships were evident between AMSC and BMI (boys: rs = -0.183; girls: rs = -0.176), physical performance (boys: rs = 0.425; girls: rs = 0.397), and psychological constructs (boys: rs = 0.130-0.336; girls rs = 0.030-0.260), with the strength of relationships different between the sexes. Higher levels of AMSC were related to significantly higher levels of physical performance (d = 0.25), motivation to exercise (d = 0.17), and physical self-efficacy (d = 0.15-0.19) in both boys and girls. Enhancing AMSC may have mediating effects on levels of physical performance and psychological constructs in school-aged children, which may hold important implications for physical activity levels and the development of physical literacy.

Keywords: physical literacy; strength and conditioning; youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Associations between athletic motor skill competencies via the Athlete Introductory Movement Screen (AIMS), tuck jump assessment (TJA), and standing long jump (SLJ) performance in boys (above) and girls (below). ** Correlation is significant at the p < 0.01 level. * Correlation significant at the p < 0.05 level.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Associations between athletic motor skill competencies via the Athlete Introductory Movement Screen (AIMS), motivation to exercise (RAI), physical self-efficacy (PSE), and global self-esteem (GSE) in males (above) and females (below). ** Correlation is significant at the p < 0.01 level.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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