Motor competences of 6-8 year old children in the Nitra district

In this paper, we address the issue of basic motor competencies in 6–8 year old children in the district of Nitra. One of the tasks of school physical and sports education is the development of basic motor competencies. The diagnosis of competencies is carried out through motor tests, which include tests of basic locomotions and tests of motor abilities and skills. The aim of the paper is to find out the current state of motor abilities and skills. We conducted the research at 4 primary schools in the Nitra district, where the sample consisted of 102 pupils (44 girls, mean age = 7,22 ± 0,68; 58 boys, mean age = 7,02 ± 0,65) attending the first year of primary school. We repeated the measurements at half-yearly intervals a total of three times. The basic method for data acquisition was the one of testing. We used the international standardized TGMD2 test battery, which includes 12 motor tests, 6 to determine the level of basic locomotions and 6 for motor skills. We processed the results in the statistical program JAMOVI. We found differences between boys and girls in individual tests using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test for independent samples. Differences within one group (boys, girls) during the three measurements were determined by a nonparametric test for dependent samples by the Wilcoxon t test. We determined the material significance using Cohen’s d (effect size). The results indicate a high initial level of basic locomotions in both groups and a low level of skills (lower in girls than in boys). In the third measurement we recorded increases in both groups, girls in the third measurement almost on the same level as boys. Empirical data were part of the research project: project EOP-5.2.2-17-2017-00035 „Comprehensive comparative analysis of the interaction of regular health support of physical activity, quality of life, motor skills and body composition among students in the Carpathian Basin in Hungarian-Romanian-Slovak cooperation“.