Making a Difference in PE Lessons: Using a Low Organized Games Approach to Teach Fundamental Motor Skills in China

Abstract

Background: Fundamental motor skills (FMS) is the foundational movement for children’s physical development. Physical Education (PE) lessons provide a unique opportunity for children to acquire these skills. The purposes of this study were to: (1) to describe the FMS performance of primary school children in China; and (2) to examine the effect of a PE-based intervention on children’s FMS. Methods: The 12-week PE-based intervention was conducted using a low organized games (LOG) approach. Children’s FMS was measured by the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2). Participants were 560 children aged between 6–9 years old (grade one to three) from two primary schools in Chongqing, China. They were grouped into intervention group (with LOG program PE; n = 282) or control group (with regular PE; n = 278). Results: The results revealed significant interaction effect between group and grade on the locomotor skill score changes (F(1,554) = 22.31, p < 0.000), and object control score change (F(1,554) = 627.1, p < 0.000). There was no significant interaction effect between the intervention group and gender on locomotor skill (F(1,554) = 1.49, p = 0.223) and object control skill significant (F(1,554) = 743, p = 0.389). Conclusions: The present study supported the application of LOG approach in PE lesson as an effective intervention to enhance children’s FMS in China.

Cross-cultural comparison of fundamental movement skills in 9- to 10-year-old children from England and China

“…This is also in line with the notion that cultural awareness is critical in understanding programme delivery and effectiveness (McGannon and Schinke, 2018). Given that FMS proficiency levels are low (Duncan et al, 2020;Zhang and Cheung, 2019), and PE practices are different (Jin et al, 2020; see also Table 1), the objective of the present study was to examine cross-cultural differences in FMS between children from England and China based on process-oriented measures.…”

“…The benefits of children being proficient at FMS are associated with increased PA, healthy weight status, health-related physical fitness, and cognitive and academic outcomes (see Cattuzzo et al, 2016; Jones et al, 2020; Robinson et al, 2015 for reviews). Despite these benefits, a considerable number of studies suggest FMS proficiency is low among children worldwide (Booth et al, 2006; Duncan et al, 2020; Eyre et al, 2018; Philpott et al, 2020; Zhang and Cheung, 2019). It is therefore important to investigate the reasons leading to the low level of FMS proficiency.…”

“…Given that FMS proficiency levels are low (Duncan et al, 2020; Zhang and Cheung, 2019), and PE practices are different (Jin et al, 2020; see also Table 1), the objective of the present study was to examine cross-cultural differences in FMS between children from England and China based on process-oriented measures.…”

The Making of the Champions: A Case Study of the Development of The Young Aerobic Gymnasts In Malay, Aklan

“…After a gymnasts master the fundamental movement skills, motor skills will be the next essential step to master. Zhang and Cheung (2019) disclosed that the low organizational games approach physical fitness lesson is an effective intervention to enhance children's development of their motor skills. This organizational series of motor movements in aerobic gymnastics combines the movement patterns body segments like the foundation join the games and related activities.…”

The Effect of Fundamental Motor Skills Intervention Program on Kindergarten Students

“…Researchers in several countries have tried to intervene in student motor skills through intervention programs. The results of the intervention have been shown to improve motor skills [22], [22], [23].…”