Relationships Between Product- and Process-Oriented Measures of Motor Competence and Perceived Competence

Abstract

Motor competence is associated with psychological and physical health outcomes. A reciprocal relationship between motor competence and perceptions of physical competence exists, but the developmental trajectory of the motor competence/perceived competence relationship is not well understood. Standardized assessments take a product- or process-oriented approach, but research concerning the motor competence/perceived competence relationship is limited to using process-oriented assessments. It is unknown whether boys and girls use product and process information differentially in the development of perceived competence. Children (N = 411) were aggregated into age groups. Perceived competence and product and process aspects of motor competence were assessed. Older children were more skillful than younger children but reported lower perceived competence. The motor competence/perceived competence association increased for both motor competence measures across age groups. Girls demonstrated stronger associations between process measures of motor competence and perceived competence, while boys indicated stronger associations between product measures of motor competence and perceived competence. When both motor competence measures were used to predict perceived competence, more variance in perceived competence was explained, compared with using independent predictors. The strength of the prediction increased across age groups, indicating that motor competence is a stronger predictor of perceived competence in older children.

Motor competence, perceived physical competence, physical fitness, and physical activity within Finnish children

“…Perceived physical competence is suggested to be comprised of interactions within different PA environments . The development of perceived physical competence specifically aligns with the development of competence in MC as children's cognitive capacity to understand their own competence improves across time . However, a recent article of Estevan et al suggested there is a controversy in the literature based on what concept researchers are attempting to address when referring perceived physical competence (eg, perceived physical competence, perceived motor competence, perceived motor proficiency, perceived physical ability, perceived physical self‐concept, perceived sports/athletic competence).…”

“…Longitudinal data also demonstrates the long‐term impact of perceived physical competence (ie, sports competence and physical competence) on physical activity from childhood into adolescence . Importantly, it is hypothesized that the strength of association between perceived physical competence and physical activity may increase as children age, perhaps as a consequence of the concomitant increase in strength of associations between actual MC and perceived physical competence …”

“…23,24 Importantly, it is hypothesized that the strength of association between perceived physical competence and physical activity may increase as children age, 22 perhaps as a consequence of the concomitant increase in strength of associations between actual MC and perceived physical competence. 18 When including actual MC and perceived physical competence to predict PA levels, research has consistently demonstrated that both variables influence physical activity levels with perceived physical competence tending to demonstrate, in a few studies, stronger direct associations with physical activity in late childhood into adolescence. 23,25 However, when assessing PA objectively (eg, accelerometry) as opposed to subjectively (eg, self-report), actual competence rather than perceived physical competence has shown to be more predictive of PA levels.…”

Actual vs. Perceived Motor Competence in Children (8–10 Years): An Issue of Non-Veridicality

“…Longitudinal research has identified perceived MC as a mechanism through which motor skill proficiency in childhood contributes to a physically active and healthy lifestyle in adolescence [25][26][27][28]. Given the influence that both actual and perceived MC in childhood can have as health determinants, empirical research has focused on furthering our understanding of their dynamic and changing relationship throughout childhood and adolescence [6,29].…”

“…Contentiously, many studies show that girls outperform boys in locomotor skills [26,38,39], whilst a comparable number of studies assert that boys have equal [40,41] or higher locomotor skill competence [42]. Concerning the perception of MC, sex differences seem to proliferate during child development [29,43,44]. Whilst some studies report that boys and girls around the pre-school years display equal perceptions of competence, from primary school years onward, higher self-perceptions in boys are consistently found [29,[45][46][47].…”