Educationally-oriented measures of handwriting fluency--tasks such as written alphabet recall and sentence copying--conflate graphomotor skill and various higher-level abilities. Direct measurement of pen control when forming letters requires analysis of pen-tip velocity associated with the production of sub-letter features that, in a skilled…

Background: A well-developed proprioceptive system is essential for motor control, muscle tone and voluntary movements. Sound proprioceptive development of young children can positively influence their motor abilities, while adequate movement abilities consequently form a strong foundation for young children entering the formal school setting.…

This study's objective was to examine whether the relationship between actual motor competence and physical activity (PA) in children is mediated by perceived motor competence (PMC) and physical activity enjoyment. The participants consisted of a total of 167 students (male = 92, female = 75) in 10 different schools in the fourth grade of primary…

Research suggests that oculomotor dysfunctions, such as convergence insufficiency, impact children's ability to read and write. Studies have identified convergence insufficiencies in near 6.8% of school-aged children. Oculomotor dysfunctions, such as convergence insufficiency, have responded favorably to oculomotor rehabilitation once identified.…

Research Findings: Fluent and legible handwriting is associated with longer texts and higher text quality and is therefore an important goal in the primary school curriculum. While girls' handwriting tends to be more proficient than boys', potential differences in the correlates of girls' and boys' early handwriting are poorly understood. In this…

Graphomotor and handwriting disabilities (GD and HD, respectively) could significantly reduce children's quality of life. Effective remediation depends on proper diagnosis; however, current approaches to diagnosis and assessment of GD and HD have several limitations and knowledge gaps, e.g. they are subjective, they do not facilitate…

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a nonlinear pedagogical approach to primary school physical education (PE) upon children's movement skill competence. Methods: Forty-six (male = 25 and female = 21) children aged 6-9 years participated in either a nonlinear pedagogy (NP) or linear pedagogy approach to PE for 9 weeks. Children's movement skill…

Unintentional Falls is the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries in the United States (U.S.). Sedentary behaviors are at an all-time high in schools leading to children not engaging in enough physical activity throughout their school day. Physical education and recess opportunities have decreased in school for the past ten years, leading to…

Background: Motor development of many children in rural areas of South Africa is compromised because of various socio-economic factors, hence, the need to address these developmental needs. Aim: To examine the immediate and sustainable effects of a 9-week movement programme on fundamental movement skills (FMS) of school children. Setting: Seven to…

Predominantly, childhood provides a window of opportunity for the promotion and development of social maturation and fundamental movement skills. The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of active play on the motor proficiency and social maturity of children. Thirty participants (age range: seven to nine years old) were randomly assigned…

We aimed to calculate interrater reliability of the Test of Gross Motor Development--Third Edition (TGMD-3) after raters reached a consensus regarding measurement criteria. Three raters measured the fundamental movement skills of 25 children on the TGMD-3 at two different times: (a) once when simply following the measurement criteria in the TGMD-3…

This study sought to examine the influence of transcription skills, evaluated using graphonomic measures, on the proficiency of text generation in students attending primary schools in Spain. A longitudinal design was employed involving 278 Spanish students distributed across three cohorts (cohort 1: 1st-2nd-4th grade; cohort 2: 2nd-3rd-5th grade;…

This study aims to examine the factors that influence the motor abilities of elementary school students. The following aspects were explored: 1) The influence of social identity on students' motor abilities. 2) The influence of self-concept on students' motor abilities. 3) The influence of learning motivation on students' motor abilities. 4) The…

This study is related to the transfer of the header motor skill in soccer from a virtual reality (VR) sport's training to the real world. A total of 61 children (37 females) between 9 and 11 years of age were distributed into three groups: a control group without training; a second group that was trained in an original VR environment developed by…

Background: Researchers continue to investigate the predictive validity of motor assessment in learners with disorder of attention, motor control and perception (DAMP). Aim: Determine the prevalence of attention-deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD); assess their association in Grade 1 children. Setting:…