Julie Lemire

The mediating role of cognitive ability on the relationship between motor proficiency and early academic achievement in children

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between motor proficiency and academic achievement in 7 years-old children. A mediating model in which the relation between motor proficiency and academic achievement is mediated by cognitive ability was tested. Participants included 152 children from the longitudinal study Jeunes enfants et leurs milieux de vie (Young Children and their Environments). Motor proficiency was evaluated with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT2), cognitive ability with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and academic achievement with the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test II (WIAT II). Results showed that motor proficiency, cognitive ability and academic achievement were positively correlated with each other. A structural equation modeling analysis revealed that motor proficiency had a positive effect on academic achievement through an indirect path via cognitive ability. These results highlight the fundamental importance of motor skills in childrens academic achievement in early school years.

Conception and validation of the Quality of Educators’ Observation and Planning Practices Scale (QEOPPS)

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to present the conception and validation of the Quality of Educators’ Observation and Planning Practices Scale (QEOPPS). The instrument assesses the quality of early childhood educators’ observation practices (observing children, collecting information, using the collected information, paying attention to each child) and planning practices (planning regularly, tailoring planning to each child, implementing it with flexibility, planning based on a curriculum). This study was conducted with 181 educators working in early childhood education and care centres with 3- to 5-year-olds. Based on educators’ responses in a semi-structured interview and on verification of relevant documents, an observer scored the QEOPPS. The results indicate that the QEOPPS shows good inter-rater reliability and internal consistency, and also provide evidence for construct and concurrent validity. The discussion highlights the implication of the QEOPPS as a promising scale for use in research ...

Relationship between screen-time and motor proficiency in children: a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT The objective of this longitudinal study was to examine the relationship between screen time (ST) and children’s motor proficiency. The amount of time 113 children spent watching television, using a computer, and playing video games as reported by parents at ages 4, 5, and 7 was measured and children’s motor skills were evaluated at age 7 with the short version of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency Second Edition. The results revealed that children who spent more time in front of a screen at age 4 also do so at ages 5 and 7. A negative relationship was observed between ST at ages 4, 5, and 7 and motor proficiency at age 7. Mediation analysis suggested that the negative effect of ST at age 4 on motor competence was mediated by ST at age 7. This result emphasizes the adverse influence of ST stability on motor proficiency.