KINE 2F00

Lecture 4
Maureen Connolly Ph.D.
Professor of Physical Education
and Kinesiology, Brock University
3M National Teaching Fellow, 2003
 Impact of Gymnastics on
Children’s Physical Self
Concept and Movement Skill
Development in Primary
Schools

Rudd, J.R. et al, 2017

 Background…
Decline in children’s movement skill
performance from previous generations
Children should sample a wide range of
movement activities during primary
school years…..
Why??
 Educational Gymnastics
Ed.Gymnastics (tumbling, jumping,
controlled falling, moving in gravity
defying ways) improves multiple
aspects of movement skill competence-
including object control skills
Why are object control skills considered
to be important?
 Educational Gymnastics….
Gymnastics is inherently task oriented,
meaning skills are practiced and
developed in a non-pressured
environment with few external
distractions… hence the likelihood of
improved FMS (fundamental movement
skills) and PSC (physical self concept).
 Study Design….
 Experimental design
 Experimental and control groups
 Pre and post testing using TGMD and KTK
plus the PSDQ-S survey
 Analysis using variance and co-variance
techniques factoring for age as one of the
variables
 Study results…
NO difference in overall movement
competence
Children in the lower primary grades in the
gymnastics group had improved FMS,
PSC and object control skills
Children in upper grades gymnastics group
did not have the same improvements as
the lower primary grade children, but…..
 Study results….
Children in the upper grades had no
difference in the object control skills
across the two groups (exp and control)
Study authors conjecture that the upper
grade children might have needed more
age appropriate problem solving
embedded into the curriculum
 So What?
Gymnastics contributes to improved FMS,
PSC and object control skill in primary aged
children
Gymnastics may also improve these same
areas in upper grade children if the material
is more age appropriate in terms of
challenge
Gymnastics should be a part of a school PE
Curriculum to contribute to children’s overall
movement competence and development
 THANKS!!

COMMENTS AND INTERACTION

WELCOME

mconnolly@brocku.ca
And now for some silliness…

THE FOUR LAWS OF WING

WALKING…
 Wing Walking Law # 1

IN ORDER TO GET OFF THE GROUND,

YOU’VE GOT TO LIGHTEN YOUR
LOAD

* don’t take your self so damn seriously!!

 Wing Walking Law #2
IN ORDER TO TAKE A STEP, YOU’VE
GOT TO SPEND A TERRIFYING
AMOUNT OF TIME IN MID-AIR

* No guts, no glory…. go heavy or go

home….sin boldly…fail spectacularly!
 Wing Walking Law #3
DON’T LET GO OF SOMETHING UNTIL
YOU GET A HOLD OF SOMETHING
ELSE

Dependable people and things are

rare… remember them
A fool with a tool is still a fool
 Wing Walking Law #4
FLYING ISN’T THE MIRACLE….
LANDING IS!

* There is nothing like everyday life to let

you know what’s what