Motor Competence Profiles in Greek Primary School Children: A Cross-Sectional Multilevel Analysis of Skill-Specific and Contextual Variability

Motor competence is a key indicator of children’s developmental readiness and an important component of health and well-being education. It is conceptualized as a latent construct shaped by both individual and contextual factors. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of sex, age and class context on motor competence, with particular emphasis on skill-specific and contextual variability. Motor competence was assessed in 312 Greek primary school children aged 6-12 years (156 girls) using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-Second Edition. Standard scores for manual dexterity, aiming-catching, and balance were analyzed using a multilevel modeling approach. Balance showed the highest standard scores, while manual dexterity was the lowest-performing domain. Boys outperformed girls in aiming-catching, with a modest effect. Age effects were domain-specific, with relative age within the classroom negatively associated with manual dexterity but not with other domains. Class-level factors explained substantial variance, indicating heterogeneity across classes. Motor competence in primary school children is strongly domain-specific and meaningfully associated with classroom context. Manual dexterity emerges as a potential priority for curriculum development, and age-related effects appear to operate selectively across domains.

Children, 13(4), 567