Fundamental Movement Skills, Physical Activity, and Motivation toward Finnish School Physical Education. A Fundamental Movement Skills Intervention

Kalaja, Sami Fundamental movement skills, physical activity, and motivation toward Finnish school physical education: A fundamental movement skills intervention Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2012, 87 p. (Studies in Sport, Physical Education and Health, ISSN 0356-1070; 183) ISBN 978-951-39-4816-0 (nid.) ISBN 978-951-39-4817-7 (PDF) The aim of the study was to analyze changes in students’ fundamental movement skills (FMS), self-reported physical activity (PA), and motivation toward PE through one academic-year PE intervention directed toward developing students’ FMS during PE lessons. The intervention design was quasi-experimental, including experimental and control groups, assessed at four measurement points (baseline, middle, post, and retention measurements). Additional aim of the study was to investigate associations between students’ FMS, self-reported PA, and motivational variables in the baseline measurement of the study at Grade 7. The participants of the study comprised 446 Finnish Grade 7 students. The experimental group comprised 199 students (110 girls and 89 boys), representing nine PE classes in one school, taught by four PE teachers. The control group consisted of 247 students (120 girls and 127 boys), representing 13 PE classes in two schools, taught by six teachers. Participants completed seven tests analyzing FMS, and responded to a multi-sectional questionnaire incorporating Finnish versions of the self-reported PA, the Sport Motivation Scale, the Sport Competence subscale, the Motivational Climate in School Physical Education Questionnaire, and the Sport Enjoyment scale. After the intervention there were differences between the experimental and control groups in static and dynamic balance as well as FMS sum-score. The experimental group showed more positive development in these variables compared to the control group. Additionally, during the intervention, the experimental group slightly increased in self-reported PA, whereas the control group’s PA decreased. Girls scored higher in static balance and rope jumping tests, whereas boys scored higher in dynamic balance, leaping, accuracy throwing, and dribbling tests as well as in perceived PA competence and ego-involving motivational climate. Perceived PA competence was the only significant predictor of PA engagement. FMS and self-determined motivation toward PE were non-significant predictors of activity. The results also supported the four-stage motivational sequence model and showed that task-involving motivational climate was a strong predictor of perceived PA competence and self-determined motivation toward PE. Three cluster groups of students were found in Finnish Grade 7 PE; 1) students with low skills and low motivation, 2) students with high skills and low motivation, and 3) students with high skills and high motivation. Cluster 3 had significantly higher self-reported engagement in PA than the other two clusters. This study demonstrated that in secondary school PE there is a need to emphasize teaching of students’ FMS. Improved skills might be one factor to prevent the typical decline of PA within adolescence.