Cross-Cultural Comparison of Fundamental Movement Skills of Children of Iranian Ethnicities

Farshid  Tahmasebi; Farzaneh  Hatami; Majid  Mohammadi; Giti  Ahmadi

doi:10.18502/ijph.v52i11.14045

Farshid Tahmasebi Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
Farzaneh Hatami Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran
Majid Mohammadi Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Giti Ahmadi Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v52i11.14045

Keywords: Culture; Loco motor skills; Object control skills; Physical activity

Abstract

Background: Cross-cultural studies can provide information on how different cultural contexts, lifestyles, and physical activity play a role in the development of motor skills. We aimed at a cross-cultural comparison of fundamental movement skills of children of Iranian ethnicities.

Methods: The statistical population included boys and girls aged 7 to 9 years from the centers of Tehran (Persian), Lorestan (Lor), Khuzestan (Arab) and Kurdistan (Kurdish) provinces in 2021 year. Overall, 240 people (60 from each province) participated in this research as a sample. Ulric Gross Motor development test (2000) was used to measure the Fundamental Movement skills.

Results: Results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that the main effect of culture (ethnicity) and interaction of culture and gender on Loco motor and object control skills were significant (P=0/001). In the total score of fundamental movement skills, the results showed that boys children scored significantly higher than girls (P=0/001). Moreover, Lor and Kurdish children significantly performed better than Fars and Arab children (P=0/001), but no significant difference was observed between the other ethnicities (P=0/452).

Conclusion: Differences in the levels of fundamental movement skills of children of different ethnicities may be due to different physical and cultural activities, attitudes, and motor habits.