engleski

Latent Structure of Motor Abilities in Pre-School Children

The theoretical and practical knowledge which have so far been acquired through work with pre-school children pointed to the conclusion that the structures of the latent dimensions of the motor abilities differ greatly from such a structure, in pre-school children and adults alike. Establishing the latent structure of the motor abilities in pre-school children is a scientific challenge. In the course of a child’s development, the structure of the motor abilities is constantly changing, within its latent dimensions as well as in the relation to other anthropological dimensions (Bala, Popović, & Jakšić, 2009). This research has been carried out on a sample of 230 6.5-year-old children. A battery of 15 composite tests for the evaluation of five hypothetical latent motor dimensions was used. Three tests were used for each dimension (coordination, flexibility, strength, agility and precision). Having carried out the factor analysis and oblimin rotation according to Guttman-Kaiser criterion, three latent dimensions were extracted. They were defined as: coordination with object manipulation, motor abilities general factor and flexibility. Altogether 47% of the variance of latent space was explained. The results of the factor analysis point to the conclusion that the latent space of motor abilities is still significantly undefined in pre-school children. This can be expected only at the later age.

motor abilities; latent dimensions; children

nije evidentirano