Diagnosis and Monitoring of Basic Motor Competencies among Third-Graders in Luxembourg. An Assessment Tool for Teachers

ABSTRACT

Basic motor competencies (in German: Motorische Basiskompetenzen; MOBAK) are performance dispositions empowering children to participate in the movement culture. For the diagnosis of basic motor competencies, a test instrument consisting of 15 test items for assessing third graders’ basic motor competencies was developed (MOBAK-LUX-3) and validated empirically. Basic motor competencies were operationalized as test items in the form of basic motor qualifications, which are cultural tools formulated as a minimum standard. Data (MOBAK-LUX-3, age, gender, migration background, weight, height, sport club membership, weekly physical activity) were collected in 2015 amongst third-graders in elementary school in Luxembourg (N = 488; 50.4% female; M age = 8.8 years, SD = .51). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four-factor structure (locomotion, object control, moving in water, object locomotion; CFI = .94; TLI = .92; RMSEA = .036; WRMR = 0.89). Five classes with different competence profiles were determined through latent class analysis. The MOBAK-LUX-3 test instrument satisfies test theory requirements and can be used to determinate motor competence profiles.

KEYWORDS:

• Motor testing
• confirmatory factor analysis
• latent class analysis
• pedagogical diagnosis
• educational monitoring

Notes

¹ During the development of the test items, we relied on the expertise of several experts from the University of Bielefeld (working group of Prof. Dietrich Kurz), the University of Basel (working group of Dr. Christian Herrmann), the University of Potsdam (working group of Prof. Erin Gerlach) and the University of Education Heidelberg (working group of Prof. Peter Neumann).