Profile of Motor Competence and Enjoyment of Physical Activity in Childhood

The aim of this study was to identify the profile of motor competence in children and to compare the enjoyment of physical activity in different profiles of motor competence as well as different age groups.
For this purpose, 184 students in three age groups of 7-8 years, 9-10 years, and 11-12 years were studied. Actual motor competence, perceived motor competence, and enjoyment of physical activity were assessed. Hierarchical cluster analysis and factor analysis of variance were used for data analysis.
the relationship between actual and perceived motor competence was significant but the effect size was small (r = 0.197). Cluster analysis identified four profiles of motor competence: high-high (high actual and perceived motor competence), high-low (high actual motor competence and low perceived motor competence), low-high (low actual motor competence and high perceived motor competence), and low-low (low actual and perceived motor competence). The results showed that enjoyment of physical activity in the high-high and low-high groups was significantly better than in the high-low and low-low groups.
The results of this study clearly showed that regardless of actual motor competence (high or low), perceived motor competence determines the enjoyment of physical activity in children.