A developmental perspective of divergent movement ability in early young children

Abstract

Movement responses to a stimulus could be either quantitative or qualitative, or could also be the answer to a pre‐established problem. This process activates both divergent thinking and critical thinking. Divergent movement ability generates both quantitative and qualitative movement responses to a stimulus. The aim of this study was to examine the divergent movement ability of preschool and elementary school children. The effect of age and gender in two factors of motor creativity—motor fluency and motor flexibility—was estimated. The sample consisted of 191 early young children (101 boys and 90 girls). The subject’s divergent movement ability was assessed using the Divergent Movement Ability Test, which included three locomotor/movement tasks. Motor fluency and motor flexibility evaluation was based on the specific scoresheets. Analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences among the three age groups on both factors of divergent movement ability. The older children produced more quantitative and qualitative movement responses than younger children. The results also showed no statistically significant differences between the two genders. Early young girls and boys seemed to have similar ability in producing divergent movements.

Keywords:

• Divergent movement
• Early young children
• Motor fluency
• Motor flexibility