Negative Relationship Between Preschoolers' Motor Coordination and Their Teachers' Evaluation of the Children's Behavioral Problems

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between motor coordination and psychosocial problems in early development. The motor ability of the participants (N = 94; aged 4-6 years) was assessed in 3 domains: manual dexterity, ball skills, and static and dynamic balance, using the Movement-ABC test (M-ABC). The children's psychosocial problems were measured by a questionnaire completed by the children's nursery school teachers that estimated behavioral problems that may cause psychosocial problems. Analysis of the data revealed a mutual negative relationship between the performance of motor ability and the extent of behavioral problems. Behavioral problems were influenced by 2 factors, named "inattention and hyperactivity" and "withdrawal." The "inattention and hyperactivity" factor was significantly related to manual dexterity, and to static and dynamic balance; the "withdrawal" factor was related to manual dexterity. In addition, the results of a multiple regression analysis showed that scores on the 2 factors could explain the children's performance on the 3 domains of the Movement-ABC test, and vice versa. These results suggest that it is important to have a full understanding of children's difficulty with motor coordination in early development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)(journal abstract)