Faktorielle Struktur motorischer Kompetenzen bei Grundschulkindern der ersten Klasse : Ergebnisse der Movement ABC-2

Abstract

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Das Wissen über die faktorielle Struktur motorischer Kompetenzen ist unter anderem für die Interventionsplanung relevant; bei distinkten Faktoren sind domänspezifische Ansätze sinnvoll. Die zugrundeliegende Struktur ist ferner für die Interpretation von Gesamt- und Subskalenwerten bedeutsam. Fragestellung: Untersucht wird, ob den Leistungen von Grundschulkindern in der motorischen Testbatterie Movement ABC-2 ( Petermann, 2015) die drei distinkten, interkorrelierten Faktoren Handgeschicklichkeit, Balance und Ballfertigkeiten zugrunde liegen. Methode: Die Daten von n = 123 7- bis 8-jährigen Erstklässlern wurden mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalyse ausgewertet. Ergebnisse: Das Originalmodell mit elf Indikatoren stellte sich für die betrachtete Stichprobe als nicht adäquat heraus. Nach Ausschluss des Indikators Mattenhüpfen 2 – besseres Bein konnte eine gute globale Passung des getrimmten dreifaktoriellen Modells mit korrelierten Faktoren nachgewiesen werden. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Eine Revision einzelner Items für diese Altersgruppe scheint sinnvoll. Die Schwierigkeit des Items Mattenhüpfen 2 könnte erhöht werden, und das Item Zweihändiges Fangen könnte leicht abgeändert werden, um präzises Fangen isoliert zu erfassen. Diese Maßnahmen könnten auch dazu beitragen, das gesamte Leistungsspektrum in dieser Altersgruppe besser zu erfassen.

Factor Structure of Motor Competencies in First Graders: Results of the Movement ABC-2

Abstract. Theoretical background: The development of motor skills during childhood is crucial to later health as well as to cognitive and socioemotional development. Especially at the beginning of schooling, motor competencies, such as fine motor skills, are important for academic success. Knowledge about the factor structure of motor competencies is essential, among other things, for the planning of prevention programs and/or interventions for children with motor-coordination impairments. When several distinct factors underly children′s motor competencies, domain-specific interventions are necessary to address specific impairments. Regarding diagnostic procedures, knowledge about the factor structure is crucial for interpreting total test scores and subscale scores. The Movement Assessment Battery for Children – Second Edition (Movement ABC-2; Petermann, 2015) is often used to assess motor competencies and to plan interventions. It consists of the three scales: Manual Dexterity, Ball skills, and Balance. Empirical studies often but not always confirm a latent construct structure with these three distinct factors, whereas some studies indicate more factors, a common g-factor, and/or single items not loading high on the corresponding latent factor. Objective: The present study examines the factor structure of the age band 2 (7;0 – 10;11 years) of the Movement ABC-2 Test Battery using confirmatory factor analysis on a sample of first graders. A three-factor structure without a g-factor is hypothesized. We explore whether the three distinct, interrelated factors Manual Dexterity, Ball Skills, and Balance underlie the motor competencies of 7- to 8-year-old children. Method: N = 123 first-grade children were tested using the items of the age band 2 of the Movement ABC-2. The tasks were administered by trained psychology graduates and undergraduates individually in a quiet room in the children’s school. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to test the hypothesized three-factor model. Results: The original model with 11 indicators for the three factors did not fit the data. When the item “Hopping on mats – better leg” was eliminated, the three-factorial model was fitted well. Discussion and conclusion: Single items of the age band 2 of the Movement ABC-2 should be revised. The difficulty of the item “Hopping on mats” should be increased to prevent ceiling effects in this age band. The item “Catching with two hands” should be modified to assess precise catching without throwing skills. These changes could help to assess the full range of motor competencies in this age group. Future studies should examine the factor structure with larger samples, different (but homogeneous) age groups, and with children with motor coordination impairments.