Ilka Seidel

Does relative age influence motor test performance of fourth grade pupils

The aim of the current study was to explore relative age’s influence on physical and motor tests among fourth grade children (9 to 10 years) from Germany. Data from 1218 children (49% female) who had performed the German Motor Ability Test (Bös et al., 2009) were analysed. The test battery, which was comprised of physical and motor tests, included 20 m sprint, balance backwards, jumping sideways, stand and reach, push-ups, sit-ups, standing broad jump, and six-minute run. Analyses of variance only revealed statistically significant effects for height, weight, and 20 m sprint time (p < .01) among boys, with relatively older boys performing better than relatively younger boys. For the girls, the only significant difference between quartiles was for height (p < .01), with the oldest quartiles being taller than the younger quartiles. These results may have implications for statistical vs. practical significance, sampling, and how youth are evaluated in physical education classes.

Tracking of Physical Fitness of Primary School Children in Trier: A 4-Year Longitudinal Study

Objective The aim of this study is to measure the motor development and tracking of physical fitness (PF) components of primary school children of Trier in Germany. Methods Two longitudinal cohorts, of 1768 children (915 f, 853 m) aged 5–11, were measured. In longitudinal cohort 1, a total of 116 female and 137 male participants aged 6.80 ± 0.42 years at baseline were measured four times from grade 1 to grade 4 (response: 40.4%). Participants of longitudinal cohort 2 (166 f, 149 m; 6.70 ± 0.36 years at baseline, response: 42.6%) were examined three times from grade 1 to grade 3 with the German Motor Test 6–18 (DMT 6–18). Results Physical fitness increased significantly over time in all test tasks except flexibility. Gender-specific differences were found in 20 m sprint, 6-minute run, balancing backwards, jumping sideways, and stand and reach. 74.4% of PF stability coefficients were moderate (r = 0.30 to 0.60). Stability of PF declined with increased time frames. Tracking was lower in girls than in boys. Flexibility showed the highest stability among PF variables (r > 0.50). BMI showed the overall highest stability coefficient with r > 0.7. Conclusions Gender-specific differences of PF were obvious but cannot always be secured statistically in primary school. Tracking was only moderate. Variability in the timing and speed of the adolescent growth spurt and sexual maturation influence stability of PF. Results from longitudinal cohort 2 largely confirm those from longitudinal cohort 1.