ERIC Number: EJ1023378
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-1367
EISSN: N/A
Associations among Selected Motor Skills and Health-Related Fitness: Indirect Evidence for Seefeldt's Proficiency Barrier in Young Adults?
Stodden, David F.; True, Larissa K.; Langendorfer, Stephen J.; Gao, Zan
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, v84 n3 p397-403 2013
Purpose: This exploratory study examined the notion of Seefeldt's (1980) hypothesized motor skill "proficiency barrier" related to composite levels of health-related physical fitness (HRF) in young adults. Method: A motor skill competence (MSC) index composed of maximum throwing and kicking speed and jumping distance in 187 young adults aged 18 to 25 years old was evaluated against a composite index of 5 health-related fitness (HRF) test scores. MSC (high, moderate, and low) and HRF indexes (good, fair, and poor) were categorized according to normative fitness percentile ranges. 2 separate 3-way "chi-square" analyses were conducted to determine the probabilities of skill predicting fitness and fitness predicting skill. Results: Most correlations among HRF and MSC variables by gender demonstrated low-to-moderate positive correlations in both men (12/15; "r" = 0.23-0.58) and women (14/15; "r" = 0.21-0.53). "Chi-square" analyses for the total sample, using composite indexes, demonstrated statistically significant predictive models, "chi-square" (1, "N" = 187) = 66.99, "p" < 0.001, Cramer's "V" = 0.42. Only 3.1% of low-skilled (2 of 65) individuals were classified as having a "good" HRF. Only 1 participant (out of 65) who demonstrated high MSC was classified as having "poor" HRF (1.5%). Conclusion: Although individual correlations among individual MSC and HRF measures were low to moderate, these data provide indirect evidence for the possibility of a motor skill "proficiency barrier" as indicated by low composite HRF levels. This study may generate future research to address the proficiency barrier hypothesis in youth as well as adults.
Descriptors: Physical Fitness, Psychomotor Skills, Young Adults, Correlation, Statistical Analysis, Skill Development, Classification, Barriers
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A