Analysis of motor coordination abilities of students: Comparative study of students in urban and rural areas

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the differences in coordination skills of children who live in urban and rural areas. This study used a cross-sectional design, and the research subjects were elementary school students aged between 7 - 9 years (N=640; male=320 and female=320) spread across urban and rural areas in West Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Samples were collected through a purposive sampling technique. Coordination data were measured using the Körperkoordinations Test für Kinder (KTK): balance beam, moving sideways, jumping sideways and eye-hand coordination. The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS statistical program version 25. The analysis results revealed that Urban students had a superior motor coordination average score compared to rural students. Based on the t-test, there was a significant difference in general coordination abilities between urban and rural students (p value< 0.05). The motor coordination skills of students in urban settings are superior to those of students in rural settings, both male and female. It is believed that by having adequate facilities and equipment, schools in Urban have more opportunities to practice coordination both structured and independently. It is recommended to optimize movement coordination training for students in a structured manner in physical education and extracurricular learning at school.