A Multidimensional Conceptual Framework for Sport Talent Identification and Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The identification and development of sports talent in early childhood should focus more on development rather than simply identifying talent. This study provides a systematic analysis of various research articles published between 2017 and 2021 related to the identification and development of sports talent in early childhood. This research is an active response to the first socialization of the "AYO OLAHRAGA" Movement by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the “Gerakan Hidup Masyarakat Sehat” (Germas) developed by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia in 2017. International databases such as Google Schoolar, Tandfoline, Sciencedirect, and Proquest, totalling 1759 articles were used in the initial literature search with a final 11 articles chosen according to the research objectives. The articles were analyzed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach which consisted of 3 (three) steps, reading the article, extracting the contents of the article, and analyzing and drawing conclusions. The 11 selected articles revealed that the process of identification and the development of sports talent in early childhood cannot be treated separately. 73% of the articles stated that the identification of early childhood sports talent needed to measure children’s physical aspects, especially their fundamental motor skills (FMS). In addition to the measurement of physical aspects, it is also considered necessary to include psychological (36%) and sociological aspects (27%) of development. This empirical evidence analyzed in this document can become the conceptual basis for developing further research on the identification and development of multidimensional sports talent in early childhood.