Mary E. Rudisill

A Developmental Perspective on the Role of Motor Skill Competence in Physical Activity: An Emergent Relationship

Although significant attention has been paid to promoting the importance of physical activity in children, adolescents, and adults, we do not currently understand how to promote sustained physical activity levels throughout the lifespan. We contend that previous research has failed to consider the dynamic and synergistic role that motor skill competence plays in the initiation, maintenance, or decline of physical activity and how this role might change across developmental time. In this article, we present a conceptual model hypothesizing the relationships among physical activity, motor skill competence, perceived motor skill competence, health-related physical fitness, and obesity. We contend that the development of motor skill competence is a primary underlying mechanism that promotes engagement in physical activity.

What Teacher Candidates Learned About Diversity, Social Justice, and Themselves From Service-Learning Experiences

This article examines how service-learning provides undergraduate teacher candidates opportunities to cultivate deeper understandings of diversity, social justice, and themselves. Participants were from a mid-Atlantic university and a rural southeastern university. Although from different regions, the teacher candidates shared predominantly White, middle-class backgrounds. Three themes framed the discussion—preconceived notions about teaching in diverse settings, how preconceived notions were overcome (or reinforced), and “learning about myself as a teacher.” Findings suggest that service-learning, emphasizing multiculturalism and social justice, has the potential for empowering prospective teachers to confront injustices and to begin deconstructing lifelong attitudes and constructing socially just practices.

Motivational climate and fundamental motor skill performance in a naturalistic physical education setting

Background: The literature on motivation suggests that student learning and performance is influenced by the motivational climate, and that positive benefits can be derived from exposure to a mastery motivational climate. Nonetheless, to date, only a few studies have attempted to investigate a mastery motivational climate in a naturalistic setting with young children. Purpose: To examine the influence of a mastery motivational climate intervention on childrens motor skill performance in a naturalistic setting, with the hypothesis that children exposed to the mastery motivational climate physical education intervention would achieve greater improvement in motor skill development than students who experienced a low autonomy climate physical education intervention. Participants and setting: 64 kindergarten children at two separate schools in the rural south of the USA. Research design: A pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was used due to the lack of random assignment of participants to groups. Intact classes at two schools were assigned to group. Each motor skill program consisted of 30, 30-minute lessons during a six-week period. Data collection: Fundamental motor skill performance was measured using Ulrichs Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-2). The TGMD-2 was administered three separate times: first, at the beginning of the school year (Pretest 1), second, after six weeks of school just prior to the intervention (Pretest 2), and finally, at the end of the six-week intervention period (Posttest). Data analysis: Two separate 2 × 2 (Group × Time) ANOVAs with repeated measures on the last factor were used to determine if children exposed to the motor skill interventions experienced significant positive changes in motor skill performance on the TGMD-2 sub-scales for locomotor and object control motor skills. Findings: Results indicated significant Group × Time interactions for the locomotor sub-scale (p = .001) and the object control sub-scale (p = .001). The mastery group improved significantly from pre- to post-intervention for locomotor and object control skills, while the low-autonomy group did not. Conclusions: The results provide evidence that a mastery motivational climate can have a positive impact on childrens fundamental motor skill performance and suggest that even young children who are in the initial stages of motor skill performance can benefit from a self-directed climate.

Service Learning as Scholarship in Teacher Education

This article describes how two teacher education service-learning programs illustrate alternative interpretations of scholarship. A tutoring–mentoring program in a teaching oriented masters institution and a motor skill development program in a land grant doctoral–research institution are described relative to how each illustrates forms of scholarship as interpreted by Boyer (1990). We discuss how these forms of scholarship—the scholarship of discovery, integration, teaching, and application—relate to stated institutional mission and evaluation practices. Service-learning experiences for preservice teachers can have the multiple benefits of promoting an ethic of service and social responsibility, demonstrating excellence in teacher education, and exemplifying scholarly endeavors.

Instructional Climates in Preschool Children Who Are At-Risk. Part II: Perceived Physical Competence

In Part II of this study, we examined the effect of two 9-week instructional climates (low-autonomy [LA] and mastery motivational climate [MMC]) on perceived physical competence (PPC) in preschoolers (N = 117). Participants were randomly assigned to an LA, MMC, or comparison group. PPC was assessed by a pretest, posttest, and retention test with the Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance. A significant Treatment × Time interaction (p < .001) was present, supporting that MMC participants reported significantly higher PPC scores over time, while no positive changes were present in LA and comparison participants. The results show that an MMC leads to psychological benefits related to achievement motivation. These findings should encourage early childhood educators to consider the effect of instructional climates on childrens self-perception.

The End-State Comfort Effect in Young Children

The end-state comfort effect has been observed in recent studies of grip selection in adults. The present study investigated whether young children also exhibit sensitivity to end-state comfort. The task was to pick up an overturned cup from a table, turn the cup right side up, and pour water into it. Two age groups (N = 20 per group) were studied: preschool children (2–3 years old), and kindergarten students (5–6 years old). Each child performed three videotaped trials of the task. Only 11 of the 40 children exhibited the end-state comfort effect, and there were no differences between age groups. Results revealed the emergence of five different performance patterns, none of which were consistent with sensitivity to end-state comfort. The findings have implications for the advance planning of manual control in young children.

The relationship between children's perceived and actual motor competence

To examine the relationship between childrens perceived and actual motor competence, 218 children between the ages of 9 and 11 years individually completed the Motor Skill Perceived Competence Scale. After completing the scale, the subjects actual motor competence was measured on a series of gross motor tests. Incomplete principal component analysis identified two actual motor competence dimensions from the motor test battery. The two factors included a lower-body and an upper-body factor of actual motor competence. A two-factor analysis of variance indicated that the boys and girls differed in perceived competence and actual competence. The boys showed higher perceived competence and actual motor competence. In addition, the 9-, 10-, and 11-year-old age groups differed from each other on the lower-body factor of actual motor competence. As age increased, lower-body competence increased. Regression analysis indicated that actual and perceived motor competence was moderately correlated. Adding age to the multiple regression model significantly increased the multiple correlation. Adding gender to the model did not increase the correlation, showing that perceived competence was a function of actual motor competence and age, and this finding held for boys and girls. These findings showed that 9-, 10-, and 11-yr.-old children can assess personal motor competence. However, practitioners should attempt to understand childrens perceived competence given that their assessments are not extremely accurate.

Influence of Perceived Competence and Causal Dimension Orientation on Expectations, Persistence, and Performance during Perceived Failure

This investigation was conducted to compare the influence of high and low perceived competence (PC) and various causal dimension orientations on expectations, persistence, and performance while perceiving failure on a motor task. Based on a response to a PC scale, 84 junior high school students were selected to participate in this study. Separately, 42 low and 42 high PC subjects were oriented to perceive their performance on a stabilometer balancing task as due to: (a) internal, controllable, unstable factors (ICU); (b) internal, uncontrollable, stable factors (IUS); or (c) nothing in particular (NDO). Subjects then received fictitious negative feedback over 15 trials. Results revealed that persistence, expectations, and performance dependent measures were significant for PC and Causal Dimension groups. More specifically, the High PC group persisted longer, had higher expectations, and performed significantly better than the Low PC group. Furthermore, the subjects presented ICU orientations persisted for a longer amount of time, revealed higher expectations over trials, and performed significantly better over trials than the subjects in the IUS and NDO groups. These findings suggest that perceived competence and causal dimensional orientations influence childrens expectations, persistence, and performance when perceiving failure on a motor task.

Mastery motivational climate: influence on physical play and heart rate in African American toddlers.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a planned mastery motivational physical play session on physical activity (i.e., heart rate [HR] and physical play intensity [PAHR > 50]) in toddlers (N = 21), as compared to a nonplanned free play session. Participants wore a monitor to measure HR over two, 30 min play conditions. A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the effect of the play conditions. A significant difference between conditions and physiological measures revealed that the mastery motivational physical play session resulted in higher HR and PAHR > 50 when compared to free play. These findings suggest the mastery motivational session resulted in more vigorous physical play in toddlers than free play.

Gender differences in Brazilian children\'s fundamental movement skill performance

Children who master fundamental movement skills (FMS) are more likely to engage in healthy physical activity during childhood and adolescence. This study compared the fundamental motor status of Brazilian boys and girls, 3–10 years of age. Participants were assessed using the Test of Gross Motor Development-2. Boys displayed superior scores for object control (OC) and locomotor (LOC) composite skill values. The result for OC skills supports previous studies; however, the finding for LOC skills differs from that of most studies that report similar performance values. When compared to the norms, the vast majority of both sexes performed below average. Limited opportunities for FMS development in school settings and the attitude that sport is primarily a masculine domain are possible explanations discussed. This report has significant implications for the promotion of FMS and gender equality in Brazil and countries with a similar culture.