Background/Purpose Understanding children's motor performance on different assessments is important for clinicians and researchers. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2nd edition (TGMD-2) and Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) are two motor assessments that use either a process- or product-oriented scoring approach, respectively. However, no studies have examined how performances are related on these two assessments. The purpose of this study is to compare performance of preschool children on the TGMD-2 and the MABC-2.
Method 32 children (M= 4.2 ± .9 years) completed each assessment to determine whether each described motor performance similarly.
Analysis/Results Significant low to moderate Spearman's rank correlations (rČ range: .13-.40) were found between the subscales of the assessments. A related-samples Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was not significant between total performances on the TGMD-2 and MABC-2.
Conclusions From a practical standpoint, each assessment provides similar results of motor competence in preschool children. However, each assessment results in scores that present different information regarding motor performance. The TGMD-2 is a norm-referenced and process-oriented assessment that provides qualitative information related to how a movement is performed. The MABC-2 is a norm-referenced and product-oriented assessment that provides quantitative information on the outcome of movement. It is critical that practitioners, clinicians, and researchers choose an appropriate motor assessment based on the purpose of evaluating movement.