Document Type : Research Paper I Open Access I Released under CC BY-NC 4.0 license
Author
University of Semnan
Abstract
Fundamental motor skills are the bases of special motor skills. In addition to
maturation, environmental promotion can influence these skills. The aim of this
study was to investigate and compare the effect of developmental gymnastic
instructional program and Spark motor program as motor experiences on
fundamental motor skills development in children aged between 6 and 8. For this
purpose, 120 children (6–8 years old) were selected from Tehran primary schools
by cluster random sampling method. After the pretest (test of gross motor
development, second edition, Ulrich), the subjects were divided into three groups
of Spark motor program, developmental gymnastic instructional program and
control. The programs were performed for one year (36 weeks, one session per
week, 30 minutes per session). In the 37th week, the posttest was performed. Data
were analyzed by paired sample t test and one-way ANOVA. The results showed
that Spark program and gymnastic program outperformed the control group in
fundamental motor skills and locomotion (P˂0.05) and the difference between the
two experimental groups was not significant. Spark program was more effective
than gymnastic program and control group in the development of manipulation
skills. Gymnastic program was more effective than the control group in the
development of manipulation skills (P˂0.05). Thus, it can be concluded that
instructional programs can be considered as a proper motor experience for
children. These programs can be used to develop motor skills at schools through providing suitable opportunities for more training and presenting developmental
motor tasks.
Keywords
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