Differences in gross motor achievements among children of four to five years of age in private and public institutions in Prishtinë, Kosovo

摘要

This study was undertaken in order to examine differences in gross motor achievements among children of four to five years of age as the result of the development of physical education programmes offered by private and public institutions in Kosovo. Research was focused on 118 children, out of which 61 (27 girls, 34 boys) were from the public institution ‘Fatosat’ and 57 (21 girls, 36 boys) from the private institution ‘SOS Kinderdorf’ in Prishtinë. Children underwent a series of gross motor tests, and the results revealed significant differences in the development of balance in favour of those children from the public institution ‘Fatosat’. There were also different results gender‐wise, with girls from ‘Fatosat’ outperforming girls from ‘SOS Kinderdorf’ in dynamic balance, whereas ‘Fatosat’ boys outperformed boys from ‘SOS Kinderdorf’ in static balance. The boys from ‘SOS Kinderdorf’ outperformed boys from ‘Fatosat’ in motor coordination. Overall there were obvious differences, although none significant, between children from the two institutions in their gross motor achievements with children from ‘Fatosat’ generally performing better. Considering that balance skills become apparent around the age of four, it is recommended to pre‐school institutions to incorporate specific balance activities in their physical education curriculum in order to enhance development of this skill.View full textDownload full textKeywordscurriculum, physical education, gender differences, gross motor achievementsRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430903248960