The Quantitative and Qualitative Status of Fundamental Movement Skills of Senior Phase Learners in the Potchefstroom Region of South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the quantitative and qualitative level of Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) of Senior Phase learners in Potchefstroom, South Africa. A total of 239, 13 to 14 year old learners were randomly selected from eight schools. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 (BOT-2), was used to assess six fundamental movement skills quantitatively, and the Fundamental Movement Pattern Assessment Instrument (FMPAI), was applied to analyse the same skills qualitatively. The results of the quantitative assessment showed that the total group of learners, including the boys and girls separately, performed below the norm for their age. The qualitative analysis showed that balancing on one leg on the balance beam was the skill in which the participants performed poorest. The quantitative and qualitative assessment results showed no statistically significant correlations in the tests of bouncing and catching a ball in the total group, nor in the boys’ and girls’ groups, and ball dribbling in the boys’ group. Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that the mastering of FMS should be included in the Senior Phase Physical Education curriculum, and that both quantitative and qualitative assessment should be used when assessing these skills.

Keywords: Fundamental Movement Skills, Quantitative, Qualitative, Assessment, Adolescents