Scheduled for Research Consortium Interdisciplinary Poster Session, Thursday, April 14, 2005, 10:15 AM - 11:45 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall Poster Area I


The Influence of the Intervention of a Children's Movement Skill Program on Preschool Children's Motor Skill Learning and Creativity Thinking in Preschool Physical Education (Pedagogy)

Chih-Yun Cheng, Chien-Chih Chou and Hui-Ching Huang, Taipei Physical Education College, Taipei, Taiwan

Preschool Children should develop competence in fundamental motor skills prior to starting school since these skills are the building blocks for more complex movement tasks (Wall, Rudisill , Parish, and Goodway, 2004). Considering the knowledge style changes in our society, creativity thinking becomes an important skill (Wall, et al., 2004). Furthermore, rarely found research in the field of physical education about the relationship between children motor skill learning and creativity thinking. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of children movement skill program on preschool children motor skill learning and creativity thinking in PE class. Fifty-one, 6-year-old participants were selected from too different schools, one was experiment group, and the other one was comparable group. The experiment group (n=26) was exposed to a 10-week children movement skill program that met for 30 minutes twice per week. In addition, the comparable group (n=25) receives regular physical education activities in this period. Two instruments used in this study. Motor Skill Assessment (Kovar, Combs, Campbell, 2004), which had three factors such as Locomotor skills, Non-manipulative skills, and Manipulative skills. Williams Creativity Assessment Packet (F.E. Williams, 1980), which defines creativity in relation to five cognitive factors, Adaptation, Fluency, Flexibility, Originality, and Elaboration. Both instruments were used in pretest and posttest to measure children motor skill learning and creativity thinking. The results indicated that a significantly positive correlation exists between motor skill learning and elaboration (r=.37, p<.01). Result from multiple regression analys revealed the cognitive factors of Flexibility and Elaboration (R=.37, B=.52 & R=.48, B=-.34, t=3.71 & -2.43) of creative thinking as significant positive predictor of motor skill learning indicated that children movement skill program was effectively assisted the development of preschool children motor skill learning as well as creativity thinking. Previous study suggested that creativity thinking could be stimulated during physical activity class (Yeh, Chou, Huang, Chang, Chen, Lin, Wang, 2003). The current study indicated that by applying movement skills program in PE class could also stimulated children motor skill learning and creativity thinking. Consequently, this study supported the notion that all children should encourage to participate children movement skills program.
Keyword(s): creative movement, early childhood

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