The Development Of Several Coordination Abilities In Preschool Age

Introduction
According to Hirtz (1977), a Coordination Abilities’ Model for the Physical Education in School and Athletic Clubs includes: balance, kinesthetical differentiation, rhythm, multiple response ability and orientation in space. During the past thirty years the research on the development of the coordination abilities has focused on elementary-school-age children, but no equivalent research data are available in the Greek population. The current research examines the development of several coordination abilities in childhood.

Methods
The Motoriktest für vier-bis sechsjährige Kindern, ΜΟΤ 4-6) (Zimmer & Volkamer 1987) was used for measuring the coordination abilities. The sample of the study was 330 preschoolers (n=330) (age:59.82±6.41), 166 girls (age:59.80±6.64) and 164 boys (age:59.84±6.19) of kindergartens of Thrace, Greece. All children underwent medical exams to ensure that they were not under any pathological conditions.

Results
The multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures was employed to test the significance of possible differences between boys and girls and/or children of different age groups (48-53months, 54-59months, 60-65months and 66-71months), at the beginning and at the end of the school year. The results showed that there were no significant differences between boys and girls in any age group. Moreover children scored higher at the end of the school year in all age groups. Finally, the older children -66-71months- performed better than all the other age groups in both measurements.

Discussion/Conclusions
The results from the present study were similar with the results mentioned in other studies, which refer that there is linearity at the performance of preschool children (Bruininks 1978, Zimmer & Volkamer 1987). A very important question is the influence of external parameters in linearity at the performance.

References
[1]. Bruininks, R.H. (1978). The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (Examiner’s Manual). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
[2]. Zimmer, R. & Volkamer, M. (1987). Manual Motoriktest fur vier-bis sechsjaehrige kindern, MOT 4-6. Beltz Test gesellschaft, Weinheim.
[3]. Hirtz P. (1977). Th. u. Pr. d. Koerp.,26, 7, 503-510.

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