Fundamental m o v e m e n t skills - How do p r i m a r y

school children perform? The 'Move it Groove it'

p r o g r a m in rural Australia
E van Beurden 2, A Zask I, LM Barnett I & UC Dietrich I
1Health Promotion Unit, Northern Rivers Area Health Service, NSW, Australia. 2Southern Cross
Institute of Health Research, Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia.

van Beurden, E, Zask, A, Barnett, L, & Dietrich, U (2002). Fundamental movement skills - How
do primary school children perform? The 'Move it Groove it' program in rural Australia.
Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport 5 (3): 244-252.

Child Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) underpin active lifestyles yet little is
known of their distribution and mastery.
'Move it Groove it' project rated proficiency of primary school children (n=1045,
18 schools) in skills of balance, throw, catch, sprint, hop, kick, side gallop and jump.
Rating categories were 'mastery', 'near mastery' or 'poor' (ie mastered all, all but one,
or less of the five to six components of an FMS).
Less than half of all child tests were rated at mastery (21.3%) or near mastery
(25.7%) level. In grade three, 75.4% of children achieved mastery or near mastery
(MNM) in static balance but less than half did so for any other FMS. In grade four,
59.0% achieved MNM in the side gallop and 56.0% in the catch but less than half
did so for any other FMS.
Although the highest percent mastery for both genders was for the balance, the
skills best performed thereafter by boys (throw and kick) rated poorest for girls.
Conversely the hop and side gallop which rated, after balance, as the skills best
mastered by girls, were among the more poorly performed skills for boys.
The low prevalence of FMS mastery found in this survey suggests that there may
be great potential to improve fundamental movement skills of primary aged children
in many parts of rural Australia. Even if the aim were for children to achieve near
mastery levels, the improvement could be substantial in every skill category. Where
appropriate, gender differences in mastery might easily be addressed by tailored
physical education programs and modification of social and physical environments.

Introduction
It h a s l o n g b e e n a r g u e d t h a t c o m m o n p h y s i c a l a c t i v i t i e s w h i c h m a y b e
p e r f o r m e d , e n j o y e d , o r e n h a n c e h e a l t h in l a t e r life a r e u n d e r p i n n e d b y
c o m p e t e n c e in v a r i o u s b a s i c m o t o r s k i l l s ( B u t c h e r & E a t o n , 1989; C o r b i n ,
1980; De O r e o & Keogh, 1980; E v a n s & R o b e r t s , 1987; H a r t e r , 1981;
H a u b e n s t r i c k e r & Seefeldt, 1986; Ulrich, 1987). F o r e x a m p l e m a s t e r y of t h e
b a s i c o v e r a r m t h r o w l e a d s to m a s t e r y of t h e s e r v e in v o l l e y b a l l a n d t e n n i s , t h e
o v e r h e a d c l e a r in b a d m i n t o n , t h e s m a s h in t e n n i s a n d b a d m i n t o n , t h e
s h o u l d e r p a s s in n e t b a l l a n d b a s k e t b a l l , t h e b a s e b a l l p i t c h a n d t h e j a v e l i n
t h r o w (Thomas, 1997; W i c k s t r o m , 1983). T h i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g h a s led to a
s y s t e m a t i c a p p r o a c h to c h i l d p h y s i c a l activity (PA) b a s e d o n t h e c o n c e p t of
F u n d a m e n t a l M o v e m e n t (or Motor) S k i l l s (FMS).
It n o w a p p e a r s t h a t i m p r o v e d p e r f o r m a n c e of F M S a m o n g c h i l d r e n is
p o s i t i v e l y c o r r e l a t e d w i t h p a r t i c i p a t i o n in o r g a n i s e d s p o r t (Okely, 1999;
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R a u d s e p p & Paasuke, 1995). Failure to m a s t e r a basic set of these skills m a y

therefore prove to be a barrier to participation in physical activities a n d to
achieving adult PA levels r e c o m m e n d e d for m a i n t e n a n c e of good health.
New education policies a n d training m a n u a l s increasingly reflect this
viewpoint. These policies and m a n u a l s , which are p a r t of b r o a d e r integrated
initiatives targeting levels of PA a m o n g school children, have FMS as a key
c o m p o n e n t (Department of Education Victoria, 1996; D e p a r t m e n t of Education
Western Australia, 2000). In NSW, The D e p a r t m e n t of Education and Training
h a s now m a d e FMS a priority area a n d h a s developed a teaching resource to
this end (Department of Education a n d Training NSW, 2000).
The efficacy of s u c h initiatives is unclear. Although some good descriptive
d a t a concerning child FMS p e r f o r m a n c e is now emerging there h a s been no
m e a s u r e , i n Australia, of change in m a s t e r y associated with a school-based
intervention (Booth et al., 1997; Booth et al., 1999).
We are seeking to redress this situation t h r o u g h the multi-strategic 'Move it
Groove it' intervention, which aims to increase PA in p r i m a r y school children.
The aim of this p a r t of the baseline s t u d y w a s to describe the proportion of
grades three a n d four children from 18 schools in rural NSW who achieved
FMS mastery.
Method
Setting and sample
The Northern Rivers Area covers 24,555 sq k m of far north coast New S o u t h
Wales extending from Grafton north to the Q u e e n s l a n d border and west to the
Great Dividing Range. Its 257,617 residents live in a range of settings from
f a r m s to small rural villages to a few large inland a n d coastal u r b a n centres.
Children 0-14 y e a r s r e p r e s e n t 22% of the total population.
Sample size w a s calculated for FMS m a s t e r y prevalence of 50%, (for the m o s t
conservative estimate), detection of a 10% difference between groups with one-
tailed (~ of 5%, power of 80% a n d t h e n applying a design effect inflation factor
of 1.5 to c o m p e n s a t e for the clustering effect of intra school s t u d e n t similarities
(Booth et al., 1997). The required s a m p l e size was 458 per gender or per school
grade (three or four).
The required 18 schools were r a n d o m l y selected from a list of 39 p r i m a r y
schools (of a total 118 within the Northern Rivers Area of NSW) t h a t h a d agreed
to be on the selection list. Selection was stratified b y school size (large if >42
year three plus year four students, else small). Large schools are mostly in
u r b a n centres (with populations > 2000) a n d small schools are in smaller rural
villages. The s t u d y sample w a s all grade three a n d four children in the 18
schools whose informed p a r e n t s did not refuse their participation (there were
no refusals) and who were able to a t t e m p t all c o m p o n e n t s of each FMS
(participation rates >85%).
Skills and their measurement
Testing took place from March to May 1999. Eight core skills (Table 1) of a
possible 11 FMS were a s s e s s e d including: static balance, sprint run, vertical
j u m p , kick, hop, catch, overhand throw a n d side gallop. These were selected
b e c a u s e they are recognised as vital to development of higher skills (eg o v e r a r m
throw for the overhead s m a s h in tennis, for the volleyball or tennis serve, or for
the baseball or javelin throw) and should ideally be m a s t e r e d by children in
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Skill Description Number of School % at

Components G r a d e 'poor' level
Scored Tested BOyS Girls
Static Balance Standand balance on one leg 5 3 25.8 22.8
Sprint run Run as fast as possible between 6 3 52.2 66.2
two points 20 metres apart
vertical Jump Jump up vertically as high as 6 3 67.2 58.8
possiblefrom knees-bent 4 67.2 56.6
standing position

Kick Run up to and kick a 20cm play 6 3 45.0 80.4

ground ball as far as possible with top 4 38.0 74.6
of foot
Bop Hop between two points 15m apart 5 3 63.5 55.9
4 52.9 52.7
Catch Catch a soft ball thrown underarm from 6 3 49.2 65.8
3-5 metres distance to 2 metres high 4 42.6 46.8
Overhand Throw a soft bali overarm as far as 6 4 36.6 77.6
ThrOw possible
Side Gallop Gallop sideways between two points 5 4 50.0 32.5
15m apart

Table1: FMS tested and potential gains for a planned intervention, in terms of % of children who
might be shifted from their current 'poor' level to 'near mastery' or 'mastery'

grades three and four (Booth et al., 1997). The specific grades in which each
FMS was tested (grade three only, both three and four, or four only, Table 1)
were based on general developmental patterns (Booth et al., 1997). Other skills
were considered b u t determined outside the scope or b u d g e t of the 'Move it
Groove it' project.
Each FMS was broken down, and assessed in terms of 5 or 6 c o m p o n e n t s
considered essential to m a s t e r y of t h a t skill (Table 1) (Booth et al., 1997). This
breakdown of skills into c o m p o n e n t s affords their m e a s u r e m e n t a level of
objectivity beyond that of a single overall score and provides a good foundation
for measuring change over time. Observational methodology was b a s e d on a
written protocol in accordance with methods of the draft NSW Department of
Education and Training resource on FMS that has since been finalised
(Department of Education and Training NSW, 2000). This was derived from the
earlier NSW Schools Fitness a n d Physical Activity Survey protocols (Booth et
al., 1997) and the D e p a r t m e n t of Education of Victoria: ' F u n d a m e n t a l Motor
Skills: A Manual for Classroom Teachers'. For example in assessing the Sprint
Run (called the R u n in earlier protocols) testers checked if: 1. the child landed
on the ball of the foot, 2. the n o n - s u p p o r t knee was bent at least 90 degrees in
recovery, 3. the thigh to the high knee was parallel to the ground, 4. the head
and t r u n k were stable a n d eyes were looking forward, 5. the elbows were bent
at 90 degrees and 6. the a r m s were driven forward and b a c k in opposition to
the legs.
Groups of children were taken to each testing station in t u r n where a trained
tester demonstrated the FMS, asked each child to perform them five times and
rated each component of FMS as present or absent. This was done without the
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tester providing a n y verbal feedback. A c o m p o n e n t w a s deemed as p r e s e n t if

the child p e r f o r m e d it on at least four of the five trials (Holland, 1986).
Testers and training
The 10 testers were trained s t u d e n t observers from the School of Exercise
Science a n d H u m a n Movement at the regional University. Training was done
using established protocols by a n experienced tester from the NSW School
Fitness a n d Physical Activity Survey (Booth et al., 1997) a n d the NSW
D e p a r t m e n t of Education a n d Training State FMS Demonstration Project
(Booth et al., 1999). Training included repetitive rating, by each prospective
tester, of children performing each FMS on a video. A panel of experts h a d
previously rated every c o m p o n e n t of e a c h videoed FMS performance. S t u d e n t s
were only conferred 'tester' s t a t u s w h e n they could reliably (>85% correct)
score each c o m p o n e n t of each FMS in line with t h a t of the expert panel. Inter
rater reliability w a s s u b s e q u e n t l y determined during field observation periods
in schools. This w a s done by pairs of observers, simultaneously scoring the
m a s t e r y level of the s a m e child attempting the s a m e FMS. Each observer pair
did so for three children for each of the 8 skills a n d each observer was checked
in this m a n n e r against two other observers.
Data and analysis
Observations were coded and entered into a n EpiInfo d a t a b a s e (World Health
Organisation, 1996). They were checked, cleaned a n d analysed using the SAS
statistical p a c k a g e (SAS Institute Inc., 1987). Distributions of percentage
'mastery' a n d ' n e a r m a s t e r y ' were calculated for e a c h FMS and presented b y
gender and school grade. 'Mastery' was defined as correct p e r f o r m a n c e of all
c o m p o n e n t s of a skill. 'Near m a s t e r y ' w a s defined as correct p e r f o r m a n c e of all
c o m p o n e n t s b u t one. Any poorer p e r f o r m a n c e w a s coded 'Poor'. Category
c o m p a r i s o n s were by 95% confidence interval calculated according to Gardiner
and Altman (Gardiner & Altman, 1989) a n d chi s q u a r e test.
Results
The 1045 children who took p a r t in the FMS survey consisted of 515 from
grade three a n d 530 from grade four. The m e a n k a p p a coefficient for paired
observations of testers in the field was 0.61 representing fair to good a g r e e m e n t
(Fleiss, 1981). The gender distribution of tested children was 53% boys a n d
47% girls in b o t h grades.
Overall 47.0% of tests on all children for all FMS r e t u r n e d a score of m a s t e r y
(21.3%) or n e a r m a s t e r y (25.7%). By far the b e s t p e r f o r m e d FMS w a s the static
balance, with 43.2% of children achieving m a s t e r y a n d 32.2% achieving n e a r
mastery. This was followed by the side gallop where 29.0% achieved m a s t e r y
a n d 30.0% achieved n e a r mastery. The poorest p e r f o r m a n c e was for the j u m p
and sprint where only 14.5% and 16.6% respectively achieved m a s t e r y a n d
23.5% a n d 23.7% achieved n e a r mastery.
FMS profiles of boys a n d girls differed substantially (Figure 1). This is
highlighted b y a consideration of the percent of children who either m a s t e r e d
or n e a r m a s t e r e d each FMS (MNM). Although b a l a n c e was the skill b e s t
p e r f o r m e d b y b o t h boys a n d girls (MNM values of 75.4% a n d 77.1%
respectively with no significant difference between genders; Z2=0.78, df=l,
p=0.377), the skills best performed thereafter b y boys (throw 62.6% and kick
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00

80

60

40

20

All BOyS Girls

Figure 1: Ranked fundamental movement skills for boys and girls based on percentage achieving
Near Mastery and Mastery (n=1039, boys=540, girls=499).

59.1%) rated poorest for gifts (throw 22.7% and kick 22.8%). Conversely the
hop and side gallop which rated, after balance, as the skills best performed by
girls (67.7% and 45.7%) were among the more poorly performed skills for boys
(51.2% and 41.5%). Except for the hop, these differences between genders were
significant (Z2throw=84.84,p<O.O01, Z2kick=134.53,p<O.O01, {2side gallop=14.60,
p=<O.O01).
FMS profiles by school grade provided further insight into the distribution of
skills. Of the two skills tested only in grade three {because they should, in
theory, be mastered in grade two (NSW Department of Education & Training,
2000)), MNM for the balance was 75.4%. For the sprint run however, MNM was
40.3%. For all other skills tested among grade three children (catch, hop, kick
and vertical jump), fewer than half of the children (42.7%) achieved MNM. In
grade four no FMS had a MNM level greater than 60% and MNM for the throw
and side gallop were only 43.3% and 59.0% respectively.
The cross sectional comparison of each FMS across grades three and four
provided insight into the current rate of development as children progressed
from one grade to the next (Figure 2). Although grade four children achieved
higher MNM levels for each of the four FMSs tested in both grades (jump, kick,
hop, catch) the actual differences were small (<6%) except for the catch, which
was 12% higher in grade four, ({2=16.95, df=l, p<0.001). However, even in the
catch the overall MNM at grade four was only 55.5%.
Cross-sectional comparisons of mastery levels by grade were performed
separately for boys and girls to gain a still finer understanding of FMS
development. For boys, the least development was evident in the jump. This
skill was the least mastered skill in grade three (MNM=32.9%) and there was

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100

80

60
%

4O

20

Year 3 Year 4

Figure 2: Ranked fundamental movement skills for grade 3 and 4 children based on percentage
achieving Near Mastery and Mastery (n= 1045, grade3=515, grade4=530).

virtually no difference between grades three and four (0.1%, ~2=0.001, df=l,
p=0.976). The greatest development was evident in the kick with a 7.0%
difference from a n initial 55.0% (•2=2.526, df=l, p=0.112). For girls, the least
development was in the hop with a 3.2% increase from 44.0% (~2=0.489, df=l,
p=0.485) and the greatest difference was a 19.0% improvement for the catch
(~2=18.014, df=l, p=0.001).
By focussing on the percentage of children who are unable to either m a s t e r
or n e a r m a s t e r each skill, Table 1 highlights FMS deficiencies which provide
the greatest opportunities for improvement by gender and grade. Prime targets
among girls are the 80.4% in grade three and 74.6% in grade four who
displayed poor kicking performance and the 77.6% in grade four who displayed
poor throwing skills. Among boys, the two thirds of grades three and four who
displayed poor jumping skills offer the greatest potential.
DisCussion
The MIGI results provide important insights into the development and
distribution of FMS, implications for future efforts to improve FMS among
children, a new b e n c h m a r k for rural schools at least in the NSW Northern
Rivers Area and a baseline for the MIGI intervention.
The scoring protocol adopted by MIGI is currently being disseminated for
routine testing in NSW schools (Department of Education and Training NSW,
2000). Unfortunately it differs from that used in earlier published studies
especially in terms of FMS component definition and number. When com-
parisons are m a d e with grade four children in the 1997 NSW Fitness and
Physical Activity Survey, similar aged children in MIGI generally showed higher
levels of MNM (Booth et al., 1997; Booth et al., 1999). Specifically, for the eight
possible grade four comparisons (ie both genders for run, jump, catch and
kick) MIGI found higher MNM for the girls' and boys' catch, throw and kick and
lower MNM for the r u n and for the boys' jump. The direction of these
differences was the same regardless of whether comparisons were with rural or
u r b a n cohorts of the NSW survey. However, because of the above mentioned

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differences in methodology, a n y c o m p a r i s o n should be viewed with caution.

While the NSW survey itself revealed some interesting rural u r b a n variations,
none was statistically significant a n d until more testing is done with the newer
protocol our results do not clarify this issue.
Limitations of the MIGI s t u d y s t e m m e d chiefly from the differing objectives of
the three organisations involved, the competing d e m a n d s of other evaluation
c o m p o n e n t s a n d u n d e r resourcing in c o m p a r i s o n with the ideal. Further, it
would have b e e n more a c c u r a t e to have two observers score every child for
each FMS for, although inter r a t e r reliability was high w h e n tested, there m a y
have b e e n variation at other times. From a research viewpoint it would have
b e e n fruitful to survey each FMS in b o t h grade three and grade four b u t limited
funds d e m a n d e d a minimalist a p p r o a c h b a s e d on the r e q u i r e m e n t s of compre-
hensive p r o g r a m evaluation r a t h e r t h a n p u r e research. In spite of the
limitations and difficulties the results are informative a n d useful well beyond
the context of the MIGI program.
In view of the ample play a r e a s in our rural school g r o u n d s and the y e a r -
r o u n d conduciveness of our climate to PA, o u r results suggest t h a t there m a y
be great potential to improve FMS of p r i m a r y aged children in m a n y p a r t s of
rural Australia. Even if the aim were for children to achieve n e a r m a s t e r y
levels, the i m p r o v e m e n t could be s u b s t a n t i a l in every skill category.
T h a t grade four m a s t e r y levels were consistently (though not always
significantly) higher t h a n those in grade three for all skills tested in b o t h grades
was not surprising. Children are expected to improve their skills with
experience, practice a n d general development. (McKenzie, Alcaraz, Faucett, &
Sallis, 1997; Ulrich & Ulrich, 1985). Indeed these differences between grades
at baseline provide a n insight into the secular changes t h a t might be expected
during the course of the 'Move it Groove it' intervention.
Gender differences found in other studies were corroborated b y o u r findings
(Raudsepp & Paasuke, 1995; Sallis, Alcaraz, McKenzie, & Hovell, 1999;
T h o m a s & French, 1985; Walkley, Holland, Treloar, & Probyn-Smith, 1993;
Wright & Okely, 1997). By developing supportive gender-specific social en-
v i r o n m e n t s for learning it m a y be possible substantially to diminish differences
in p e r f o r m a n c e of boys a n d girls (Hands & Larkin, 1997).
The b r e a k d o w n of skills into c o m p o n e n t s provides a good foundation for
m e a s u r i n g change over time a n d the possibility of tailoring interventions to
focus on the particular c o m p o n e n t s of a skill t h a t requires attention. While o u r
s t u d y did not a t t e m p t to identify the mix of skills at the individual level, scoring
of skill c o m p o n e n t s in this m a n n e r could provide a detailed skill profile of every
child for teachers to further target their remedial efforts.
The FMS differences b y age a n d sex identified in this s t u d y might readily be
redressed if format, content, scope and sequence of physical education pro-
g r a m s target identiiied deficiencies a n d if social a n d physical e n v i r o n m e n t s are
established to s u p p o r t the required changes (Hands & Larkin, 1997). For
example, a strategic a p p r o a c h to improving kicking a m o n g s t girls could
potentially provide the four out of every five girls who currently have not
m a s t e r e d this skill with e n o u g h c o m p o n e n t skills to achieve at least n e a r
m a s t e r y and, possibly with it, the confidence to take p a r t in a wider range of
kicking-based activities.
Part of the integrated 'Move it Groove it' intervention to increase PA a m o n g
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primary school children is to pilot innovative and integrated approaches to

improve FMS. The results presented here are the baseline for a longitudinal
study to test their efficacy.
While the association between FMS and more advanced sport-specific skills
has long been established there is little evidence to date that improved FMSs
influence p a t t e r n s of PA in later life. We r e c o m m e n d research to further clarify
both the immediate and longer-term implications of s u c h improvements within
Australia. This is particularly important with respect to the large gender
disparity evident in our results. In view of the likely cultural influence on the
perceived value of varying skills it may be misleading simply to apply findings
from other countries directly to Australian children (Wright & Okely, 1997).
Acknowledgments
The project was funded by NSW Health with a Physical Activity Demonstration
Grant (Ref No:DP98/1). We wish to t h a n k Vivienne Byrne, Tony Okely,
Margaret Wilsmore, Rob Gilfillan, Margaret Leedow, Denise Hughes, staff in
participating schools and the District Offices of the NSW Department of
Education and Training and the S o u t h e r n Cross University students who were
FMS testers.
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