The Influence of a Specialized Physical Educator and the Basic Motor Competencies of Children from Ticino: A Study based on the MOBAK-KG and MOBAK 1-2 Model

Background: Basic Motor Competencies (BMC) are the foundation for the achievement of more complex motor skills. A development of these encodes the basis for an active physical lifestyle. Schools are the most important environment in which children learn BMC, which are usually promoted by a specialized physical educator. This research considers the MOBAK-KG and 1-2 to determine the status of BMC of children of Ticino. It investigates the relationships between the MOBAK test results and gender, age and the difference between the presence of a specialized physical educator.
Methods: A data of 417 children from Kindergarten (207 females, 210 males, age: M = 5.19 years, SD = 0.83) and 329 from elementary school (172 females, 157 males, age: M = 6.97 years, SD = 0.42) is considered. The measurement instrument used are the MOBAK-KG and 1-2. Data on parents and teachers were also collected. The analysis of frequency, difference and correlation is performed.
Results: For the MOBAK-KG, males performed better in Object-movement, whereas there is non-significant difference in Self-movement. For the MOBAK 1-2, males performed better in Object-movement and females in Self-movement. There is a general gain in performativity related to the increase of age in the MOBAK-KG and 1-2. There is no significant difference between the presence of a non-specialized and a specialized physical educator for both Self-movement and Object-movement in the MOBAK-KG.
Conclusion: The research reported the BMC status of children from Ticino and determined the correlation between BMC status and the presence of a specialized physical educator.