The learning objectives of the curricula in physical education at primary level include the development of basic motor competencies. Children need these competencies in order to actively participate in sports inside and outside of school and to learn more complex movement sequences and techniques. The need for educational motor support in basic motor competencies should therefore be identified at an early stage in order to be able to support the children appropriately.
As part of the Erasmus+ funded project “Basic Motor Competencies in Europe – Assessment and Promotion” (BMC-EU), basic motor competencies of 1721 8- to 10-year-old primary school children from 9 European were assessed using the MOBAK-3-4 (Herrmann, 2018). The test comprises a total of eight motor tasks in the competence areas of object movement (bouncing, dribbling, throwing, catching) and self-movement (rolling, balancing, jumping, running).
The results showed that on average more than 25% of the children need educational motor support in the competence area object movement and more than 20% in the competence area self-movement. In some samples, the values were even above 60% (object movement) or 70% (self-movement). These numbers are alarming, as they indicate that these children do not meet some basic objectives of physical education and are at risk of not being able to participate in various sports activities in an age-appropriate way and to develop an active lifestyle.
In order for children to actively participate in sports inside and outside of school, they need basic motor competencies. These are reflected by children’s ability able to bounce, dribble, throw and catch a ball in an age-appropriate manner, and to balance, jump, run and roll safely. Basic motor competencies are part of the subject-specific learning objectives of physical education and are anchored in the curriculum. Previous studies in German-speaking countries have shown that the level of basic motor competencies varies among children from different regions and that it is related to various endogenous and exogenous factors such as age, gender or physical activity.
To assess these relationships in an international setting, the basic motor competencies of 3758 first and second grade children in ten European countries were measured using the MOBAK-1-2 instrument (Herrmann, 2018) under the leadership of the Universities of Basel, Potsdam and Luxembourg as part of the Erasmus+ funded project “Basic Motor Competencies in Europe (BMC-EU) – Assessment and Promotion”. In the process, the children had to perform in eight different motor tasks, which were assigned to the two competence areas object movement (tasks with a ball) and self-movement (tasks with their own body). In addition, the children were asked about their extracurricular sports activities.
It was found that the level of basic motor competencies differed significantly between the children from the different countries. In contrast, the correlations of basic motor competencies with age, gender, body mass index and extracurricular physical activity of the children were similar in all regions. The associations found are consistent with previous research on basic motor competencies. E.g., participation in extracurricular physical activity was found to be associated with higher basic motor competencies, depending on the type of sport participation.
The strong differences in basic motor competencies and in participation in extracurricular sports show the importance of promoting basic motor competencies and the offer and provision of easy access to extracurricular sports. The authors recommend that future studies include country-specific characteristics and structural factors of the education system. As part of the overall project, teaching materials were developed for teachers to provide children with targeted support in basic motor skills (available at http://mobak.info/bmc-eu/#1586525520273-90427982-0436).
The last of the three transnational project meetings of the BMC-EU-project took place from September 10th to 11th in of Verona, Italy. Apart from the presentation of the first results and analyses of the assessed data and the teacher training concept and toolkit, publication strategies and dissemination activities were discussed. Thanks to everyone for taking part in the meeting and in the project itself!
Directly after the workshop, many participants relocated to the “Healthy and active children meeting” (organized by I-MDRC & CIAPSE), which also started on this day in Verona. There, a symposium about Basic Motor Competencies in Europe was held by the project initiators of the Universities of Potsdam (Germany), Luxemburg and Basel (Switzerland).
From April 10th-12th 2019, the second transnational project meeting of the BMC-EU project was held at the University of Luxembourg. Apart from the presentation of the first results of the data assessments, much theoretical and practical work was done for preparing a teacher training kit to support teachers in promoting basic motor competencies in their classes. Thanks to everyone for their participation and input to the project!
Dr. Christian Herrmann, Prof. dr. Uwe Pühse and Prof. Dr. med. Erin Gerlach are teaching a seminar on MOBAKs and physical education during their second visit at the University la frontera in Temuco (Chile).
On the occasion of the publication of the MOBAK 1-4 test, Hogrefe Verlag made an interview with Dr. Christian Herrmann.The interview (in German) can be found here.
The study about MOBAK-KG attracted the interest of several Swiss newspapers and journals. Swissinfo.ch published an article in English (click here to read it), the German articles can be found with the following links:
The aim of the ad-hoc committee of the German Association for Sports Science (dvs) is the conception and development of a test instrument for the assessment of the basic motor comptetencies of children in the context of swimming learning.Based on the existing MOBAK test instruments for the competencies of “Self movement” and “Object movement”, a test instrument for the competencies of “Moving in Water” is now to be developed. The meeting on 1 November 2018 at the University of Mainz served to formulate test items which are to be validated within the framework of a pilot study.
The following persons were involved in the meeting (from left to right): Christian Herrmann (University of Basel), Axel Dietrich (German Swimming Association), Detlef Beise (University of Leipzig), Nadine Strifler (University of Heidelberg), Fabio Capraro (University of Basel), Robert Collette (University of Mainz) and Christophe Schnitzler (University of Strasbourg, not on the picture).
The MOBAK 1-4 test for the assessment of basic motor competencies in grades 1-4 is available at the Hoegrefe testcentrum. The package contains the test manual including standardization tables, protocol sheets for single and group testings as well as a test case with standardised material. It can be ordered with the following link: MOBAK 1-4 Test (Hogrefe Testcentrum)
Herrmann, C. (2018). MOBAK 1-4: Test for the assessment of basic motor competencies for grades 1-4. Hogrefe Schooltest. Göttingen: Hogrefe.
Application area
Assessment of the basic motor competencies in 6-to 10-year old children in grades 1-4 of physical education and in research. Single or group testings.
Content
Basic motor competencies are anchored in German curricula and are regarded to be the central learning objectives of physical education. They are a requirement to actively participate in the sports and exercise culture. MOBAK 1-4 allows to standardisedly and economicly assess the current status and development of basic motor competencies. The obtained informations help educators to adapt their lessons to the requirements of the chilren.
The MOBAK-1-2 test instrument is designed for 6- to 7-year-old children of the first and second grade, MOBAK-3-4 for 8- to 9-year-old children of the third and fourth grade.
Both MOBAK test versions capture basic motor competencies of “self-movement” (balancing, rolling, rope skipping, moving variably) and “object movement” (throwing, catching, bouncing, dribbling). The assessment of the MOBAK tasks is easily feasible due to dichotomous coding (pass vs. fail). The evaluation is done by summation. In addition to the materials from the test case, large-scale equipment from the sports hall is needed (long bench, gymnastic mats, etc.).
With his presentation about “The quality of physical education – dimensions and evaluation “, Christian Herrmann succesfully completed his habilitation on the 18th of July 2018. It occured in cooperation with the Department of Sports, Exercise and Health of the University of Basel and the Human Scientific Faculty of the University of Potsdam. The accumulative habilitation thesis was named «Basic Motor Competencies: Construct, Assessment and Current state of Research». Due to the thematic width Christian Herrmann was awarded the Venia Legendi in whole sports sciences. The picture shows Prof. Erin Gerlach, Christian Herrmann and Prof. Uwe Pühse after the presentation.
The MOBAK-KG (Kindergarten) test manual for 4-6-year-old children is now available. Download
Herrmann, C., Ferrari, I., Wälti, M., Wacker, S. & Kühnis, J. (2018, April 19). MOBAK-KG: Basic motor competencies in kindergarten. Test manual. Retrieved August 13, 2018, from http://mobak.info/en/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/MOBAK-KG_engl.pdf
Several institutes and newspapers wrote about the visit of Dr. Christian Herrmann and Prof. Dr. Erin Gerlach at the University of La Frontera in Temuco, Chile.
The following article was published on the website of the University of La Frontera on April 27, 2018:
European academics visited UFRO for validation of a testing instrument to evaluate basic motor competencies in PE-class
The MOBAK-testing instruments are based on the basic motor competencies of schoolchildren and allow to assess them through eight test items that include “Object movement” and “Self-movement”.
The aim is to register the basic motor competencies of Chilean schoolchildren and to identify how they are related to the motivation and attitudes towards physical activity out of school. Therefore, academics of the University of Potsdam (Germany) and University of Basel (Switzerland) came to the Universidad de La Frontera for the “Conference on Pedagogic Socialization of Basic Motor Competencies in Physical Education class” and to validate the MOBAK-testing instruments in Chile.
In this context, Dr. Jaime Cárcamo, an UFRO academic, commented that “considering that the development of basic motor competencies is one of the main objectives in PE class, it is important to know the impact the class has in schoolchildren, in order to determine if the objectives of the curricular bases are met and also to get to know their impact on the development of habits for an active lifestyle.”
“In this context, this Fondecyt project seeks to evaluate the motor competencies in schoolchildren in 5th grade and their relation to physical activity outside of school, as well as psychosocial aspects such as the children’s attitudes and motivation. This is why we decided to use the MOBAK-testing instrument, because it is a validated instrument to assess basic motor competencies in children which is used in Europe to determine the impact of PE classes”, the Dr. Jaime Cárcamo pointed out.
COOPERATION
This conference was held within the framework of the Fondecyt (Chilean National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development) Project No. 11170525, “Basic motor competencies as part of the PE curriculum and the relation to motivation, enjoyment, attitudes and out-of-school physical activity in schoolchildren of the Chilean Araukanía Region”, and included presentations by the European academics Dr. Erin Gerlach (University of Potsdam) and Dr. Christian Herrmann (University of Basel), about the measurement, importance and evaluation of basic motor competencies. These topics were embedded in one large presentation which was held in German with consecutive interpretation into Spanish.
“Thanks to the visit of these academics, we were able to train PE teachers and university students who are part of the team of this Fondecyt project. The application of the MOBAK-5 testing instrument will start in May and has the objective to apply the tests in Chilean schoolchildren and to determine their level of motor competencies, which they need in different situations of their in-PE-class and out-of-school activities”, Dr. Jaime Cárcamo concluded.
The conference took place at the Universidad de La Frontera, in the Auditorium “Selva Saavedra”, and was sponsored by the Chilean National Fund for Scientific and Technological Development (Fondecyt Project No. 11170525) and the Universidad de La Frontera thorugh the Department of Physical Education, Sport and Recreation and the Outreach and Community Engagement Division (Extension Project EXS18-0028).
Written by: María Carolina Oyarzún
School of Pedagogy
Dr. Jaime Carcamo-Oyarzun from the Universidad de la Frontera Temuco (Chile) was able to obtain a third-party funded project at the national commission for research in Chile (Comisión Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica [CONICYT]) with the support of Dr. Christian Herrmann (University of Basel, Switzerland) and Prof. Dr. Erin Gerlach (University of Potsdam, Germany). The project is called “The relation between basic motor competencies in Chilean students and their motivation, attitudes and physical activity.”
The goal of the project is to assess basic motor competencies in Chilean students and to show their relation with motivation, attitude towards physical education and physical activity in extra-curricular sports. Therefore, MOBAK test instruments are validated in Chile prior to the assessment.
After the visit of Dr. Jaime Carcamo-Oyarzun at the University of Basel from the 13th – 21st of March 2018, Dr. Christian Herrmann and Prof. Dr. Erin Gerlach will travel to Chile to locally support the training of the project team and to share their expertise about basic motor competencies with Chilean physical education teachers. More mutual visits within the project are planned for 2019.
Based on this, a further cooperation between the University of Basel and the Universidad de la Frontera Temuco is planned to establish a systematic exchange in research and teaching.
from the left: Dr. Christian Herrmann (DSBG, University of Basel), Dr. Jaime Carcamo-Oyarzun (Universidad de la Frontera, Chile), Erich Thaler (International Relations, University of Basel) and Prof. Dr. Uwe Pühse (DSBG, University of Basel)
The first transnational project meeting of the BMC-EU project successfully took place from the 14. – 16. March 2018 at the University of Basel in Switzerland. 20 project partners of the 14 partner universities and institutes came together for a fruitful exchange and discussion of project assignments, data collection and processing as well as collecting practical experience in the MOBAK-test items.
