Development of motor talents and nontalents in preschool age – An exploratory study

Figures & data

Table 1. Dependent variables at each of three trials

Anthropometric data

Age (months)

Sex

Height (cm)

Skinfold thickness (mean on 3 sites: abdomen, scapula, triceps) (mm)

Body mass index BMI = weight (kg)/height (m^2)

Motor skills

Motor Test Battery MoTB 3–7, Krombholz, 2011 (z-score) assess three aspects:

Body coordination (z-score)

Balancing forward (number, max. 24)

Balancing backward BR and Lateral jump LJ (Body Coordination Test BCT, Kiphard & Schilling, 2007; number)

Hopping, right and left foot (number, max. 20)

Fitness (z-score)

Standing broad jump (cm)

Hanging task (s, max. 30)

Shuttle run: distance: 4 × 4 m (s)

Dexterity (z-score)

Right and left hand, Performance of the dominant hand (Lateral Dominance Test—LDT, Schilling, 2009) (number)

Cognitive Abilities

Concentration

Frankfurter Tests für Fünfjährige—Konzentration FTF-K, Raatz and Möhling (1971) (number)

Verbal ability

Peabody picture vocabulary test PPVT, Dunn (1959), German version: Bondy et al. (1975) (number)

Intelligence

Culture Fair Test 1 CFT 1, Weiß & Osterland, 1997 (this test was only applied at the third trial) (T-score)

Table 2. Status of motor performance (low, medium, high) and sex, number, and percentage at the start of the study

	Low		Medium		High		Total
	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Boys	19	18.1	24	22.9	14	13.3	57	54.3
Girls	8	7.8	30	28.6	10	9.5	48	45.7
Total	27	25.7	54	51.4	24	22.9	105	100

Table 3. Development of aspects of physical growth, motor skills, and cognitive abilities in children with low, medium, or high motor performance status at three trials

	Low		Medium		High		ANOVA		Post-Hoc (p)
							p	η^2	l/h	l/m	m/h
1st Trial	M	SD	M	SD	M	SD
Age (Month)	58.1	9.6	58.5	9.9	59.2	9.3	0.84	<0.01	ns	ns	ns
Height (cm)	108.4	5.9	108.8	5.3	107.9	6.3	0.528	<0.01	ns	ns	ns
Weight (kg)	19.3	3.2	18.9	2.6	17.9	2.4	0.005	0.05	0.01	ns	ns
Skinfold (mm)	5.6	2.3	4.7	1.4	4	1	<0.001	0.13	0.01	0.01	0.05
BMI	16.3	1.8	15.3	1.3	15.3	1	0.001	0.07	0.01	.ns	0.04
MoTB 3–7 Total	−1.17	0.44	−0.15	0.41	0.75	0.47	<0.001	0.61	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Coord	−1.11	0.36	−0.15	0.5	0.85	0.51	<0.001	0.58	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Fitness	−1.06	0.77	−0.14	0.53	0.59	0.38	<0.001	0.47	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Dex	−0.70	0.4	−0.13	0.58	−0.03	0.71	<0.001	0.14	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
Cognitive abilities
Conc (Num.)	17.2	4.5	20.2	7.8	22.4	7.3	0.011	0.04	0.01	0.05	ns
Verb. Ab (num.)	28.2	18.9	36.6	18	37.2	16.8	0.004	0.05	0.07	<0.01	ns
2nd Trial
Height (cm)	113.6	6.2	113.9	5.5	113.1	6.5	0.396	0.01	ns	ns	ns
Weight (kg)	21.9	4.1	20.8	4.1	20	2.6	0.007	0.06	0.01	ns	ns
Skinfold (mm)	6.8	4	4.9	1.9	4	1.1	<0.001	0.14	<0.01	<0.01	ns
BMI	16.9	2.2	15.9	1.4	15.6	0.9	0.002	0.08	0.01	0.02	ns
MoTB 3–7 Total	−1.09	0.62	0.03	0.46	0.77	0.52	<0.001	0.56	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Coord	−1.18	0.55	0.03	0.52	0.79	53	<0.001	0.57	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
MoTB 3–7 Fitness	−0.95	0.84	−0.08	0.67	0.61	0.63	<0.001	0.34	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Dex	−0.58	0.61	0.01	0.8	−0.09	0.81	<0.001	0.12	<0.01	<0.01	ns
Cognitive abilities
Conc (num.)	20.5	7.3	25.9	7.3	26.7	7.7	<0.001	0.13	<0.01	<0.01	ns
Verb.Ab (num.)	40.7	16.7	44.8	15.5	45.7	14.4	0.043	0.04	0.05	.ns	ns
3rd Trial
Height (cm)	118.8	6.6	118.3	5.6	117.3	6.7	0.708	0.01	ns	ns	ns
Weight (kg)	24.1	4.9	22.5	4	21.4	3	0.016	0.06	0.01	ns	ns
Skinfold (mm)	8.3	4.6	5.9	3.1	4.6	1.2	<0.001	0.16	<0.01	<0.01	ns
BMI	17	2.4	15.9	1.7	15.5	1.1	0.002	0.09	<0.01	0.01	ns
MoTB 3–7 Total	−0.93	0.69	0.16	0.49	0.91	0.54	<0.001	0.58	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Coord	−1.01	0.67	0.23	0.46	0.84	0.48	<0.001	0.61	<0.01	<0.01	0.01
MoTB 3–7 Fitness	−0.63	0.79	0.04	0.64	0.74	0.55	<0.001	0.34	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
MoTB 3–7 Dex	−0.47	0.5	−0.01	0.72	0.77	0.84	<0.001	0.26	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
Cognitive abilities
Conc (num.)	23.5	7.7	28.4	8.7	31.3	7.6	<0.001	0.12	<0.01	0.05	ns
Verb. Ab (num.)	50.1	13.9	55.2	8.7	56.3	7.3	0.021	0.06	0.1	0.02	ns
Intellig (T-score).	49.9	7.7	54.3	7.5	56.5	7.5	0.023	0.04	<0.01	<0.01	ns

Notes: Means M, Standard Deviations SD, Results of ANOVAs, p and partial η², and of Post hoc Tests (Bonferroni), p.

Abbreviations: low or l = low skill status, medium or m = medium skill status, high or h = high skill status, MoTB 3–7 = motor test battery 3–7, coord = coordination, dex = dexterity, verb.ab = verbal ability, conc = concentration, intellig = intelligence, ns = not significant.

Table 4. MANOVA of physical growth (height, weight, skinfolds, BMI)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance Status	2.3	8; 98	0.02	0.09
Trial	666	8; 98	<0.001	0.98
Performance Status * Trial	2.4	16; 194	0.003	0.16

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high) and trial.

Figure 1. Development of motor performance (MoTB 3–6, z-scores) of children with different motor skill status.

Table 5. ANOVA of motor skills (MoTB 3–7, z-score)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance status	126.8	2; 99	<0.001	0.72
Sex	0.1	1; 99	0.724	<0.01
Performance status * Sex	1.8	2; 99	0.169	0.04
Trial	13.8	2; 98	<0.001	0.22
Performance status * Trial	0.7	4; 194	0.61	0.01
Sex * Trial	0.3	2; 98	0.748	0.01
Perform status * Sex * Trial	0.9	4; 194	0.489	0.02

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex, and trial.

Table 6. ANOVA of motor skills (MoTB 3–7, coordination: balancing forward and backward, lateral jump, hopping, z-score)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance status	146.0	2; 118	<0.001	0.71
Sex	0.1	1; 118	0.779	<0.01
Performance status * Sex	1.3	2; 118	0.283	0.02
Trial	11.8	2; 117	<0.001	0.27
Performance status * Trial	3.3	4; 232	0.012	0.05
Sex * Trial	0.5	2; 117	0.632	0.01
Perform status * Sex * Trial	0.3	4; 232	0.902	0.01

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex and trial.

Table 7. ANOVA of motor performance (MoTB 3–7, fitness: standing broad jump, 20 m dash, holding, z-score)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance Status	63.3	2; 119	<0.001	0.52
Sex	9.5	1; 119	0.003	0.07
Performance Status * Sex	0.7	2; 119	0.483	0.01
Trial	9.9	2; 118	<0.001	0.14
Performance Status * Trial	1.2	4; 234	0.305	0.02
Sex * Trial	1.2	2; 118	0.295	0.02
Perform Status * Sex * Trial	1.4	4; 234	0.237	0.04

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex and trial.

Table 8. ANOVA of motor performance (MoTB 3–7, manual dexterity: right/left hand, z-score)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance status	21.3	2; 111	<0.001	0.27
Sex	17.0	1; 111	<0.001	0.13
Performance status * Sex	0.7	2; 111	0.535	0.01
Trial	10.3	2; 110	<0.001	0.16
Performance status * Trial	4.1	4; 218	0.003	0.07
Sex * Trial	2.1	2; 110	0.123	0.04
Perform Status * Sex * Trial	1.2	4; 218	0.321	0.04

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex and trial.

Table 9. ANOVA of concentration (raw-scores)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance status	8.4	2; 112	<0.001	0.13
Sex	0.1	2; 112	0.921	0.01
Performance status * Sex	1.8	2; 112	0.169	0.03
Trial	67.3	1; 112	<0.001	0.38
Performance status * Trial	0.9	2; 112	0.411	0.02
Sex * Trial	0.7	1; 112	0.402	0.01
Perform status * Sex * Trial	0.2	2; 112	0.857	0.01

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex, and trial.

Table 10. ANOVA of verbal ability (raw-scores)

Effect	F	df	p	η^2
Performance status	5.8	2; 112	0.004	0.09
Sex	14.3	2; 112	<0.001	0.11
Performance status * Sex	1.6	2; 112	0.199	0.03
Trial	214.9	1; 112	<0.001	0.66
Performance status * Trial	1.8	2; 112	0.167	0.03
Sex * Trial	8.8	1; 112	0.004	0.07
Perform Status * Sex * Trial	1.7	2; 112	0.205	0.03

Note: Effects: Motor performance status (low, medium, high), sex, and trial.

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