Effects of Structured and Unstructured Physical Activity on Gross Motor Skills in Preschool Students to Promote Sustainability in the Physical Education Classroom

Rosita Abusleme-Allimant, Juan Hurtado-Almonacid, Tomás Reyes-Amigo, Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda, Guillermo Cortés-Roco, Patricio Arroyo-Jofré and Jacqueline Páez-Herrera ()
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Rosita Abusleme-Allimant: Escuela de Educación Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
Juan Hurtado-Almonacid: Escuela de Educación Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
Tomás Reyes-Amigo: Observatorio de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad Física, Universidad de Playa Ancha, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile
Rodrigo Yáñez-Sepúlveda: Faculty of Education and Social Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Viña del Mar 2520000, Chile
Guillermo Cortés-Roco: Escuela de Educación, Entrenador Deportivo, Universidad de Viña del Mar, Viña del Mar 2572007, Chile
Patricio Arroyo-Jofré: Escuela Pedagogía en Educación Física, Universidad San Sebastian, Santiago 8420507, Chile
Jacqueline Páez-Herrera: Escuela de Educación Física, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Valparaíso 2340000, Chile

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 13, 1-14

Abstract: Basic motor skills are the basis for the formation and execution of movements that will be utilized throughout an individual’s lifetime, thus promoting their involvement and continued participation in physical activity. (1) Background: This study aimed to assess the impact of a physical education program, based on a model of structured and unstructured physical activity, on the motor development of kindergarten students at a private school for girls in Con Con, Chile. (2) Methods: Thirty-four female students were divided into two groups, one participated in structured physical activity and the other in unstructured physical activity, and both groups then underwent a 12-week intervention. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2 (TGMD-2) was utilized to evaluate motor behaviors, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and relative frequencies. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare differences at the beginning and end of the intervention, while the Whitney–Mann U test was used to determine differences between groups. (3) Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in the overall group when comparing the start and end of the intervention for total motor development ( p = 0.001), locomotion skills ( p = 0.018), and object control ( p = 0.001). However, no significant differences were found between the two types of intervention activities. (4) Conclusions: This study suggests that both structured and unstructured physical activity interventions enhance overall motor development, particularly in the dimensions of locomotion and object control. The results indicate that unstructured physical activity interventions may lead to better outcomes in motor development tests compared to structured interventions.

Keywords: motor skills; sustainable physical education; preschooler (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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