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Session Overview |
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Symposium 9: The Mosaik of Childhood: Linking Sport Activities, Competencies, Self-Perceptions, and Well-Being to Foster Resilience for Challenging Childhoods
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The Mosaik of Childhood: Linking Sport Activities, Competencies, Self-Perceptions, and Well-Being to Foster Resilience for Challenging Childhoods Children’s participation in physical activity, motor and social-emotional competencies, self-concept, and well-being are key foundations of healthy, active, and socially integrated lives. Yet these domains have mostly been studied in isolation. This symposium brings together research from the MOSAIK and EMOKK projects to provide an integrative view on how sport activities, competencies, and self-perceptions co-develop in early childhood. The four talks are anchored in a holistic model of motor and socio-emotional development—introduced by the chairs—with each presentation focusing on specific layers of this model. Beginning with the foundational layer, Talk 1 examines the relationship between basic motor competencies and participation in organized sports, disentangling selection and socialization effects. Focusing on the competence layer, Talk 2 addresses social-emotional development by introducing a novel instrument for assessing social-emotional competencies in sport contexts. Talk 3 moves to the level of self-concept, presenting innovative measures to capture young children’s beliefs about their motor and social-emotional competencies and linking these self-perceptions to sport participation. Finally, Talk 4 addresses the apex of the model, demonstrating the impact of sport participation on children’s well-being. Together, these contributions showcase the complexity of early childhood development and highlight innovative methodological approaches—including observational measures in motorically demanding tasks, pictorial self-report tools, and longitudinal modeling. By bridging disciplinary perspectives and integrating complementary methodologies, this symposium delivers a unique framework for understanding how competencies and self-perceptions coalesce to shape children’s lives. It highlights the building blocks that foster resilience, competence, and confident participation in the challenging contexts of modern childhood. Presentations of the Symposium Reciprocal relationship between the development of motor competencies and sports participation in preschool children Basic motor competencies (MOBAK) are essential for participating in exercise and sport and are the foundation for a physically active lifestyle. Children who participate in sports clubs tend to have a higher level of motor competence (selection effect), and this can further improve their competencies (socialisation effect) (Herrmann, et al., 2024). This article analyses the interaction between the development of basic motor competencies and participation in club sports. As part of the SNSF-funded EMOKK-study, a total sample of N=1201 children in the 1st to 2nd preschool class was pooled from three cohorts (2020–2021: N=137; 2021–2022: N=519; 2022–2023: N=545) with two measurement points. The children´s basic motor competencies were tested using the MOBAK-KG (self-movement, object movement). Their participation in club sports (frequency of ball sports and individual sports per week) was assessed using parent questionnaires (Herrmann, et al., 2025). Latent cross-lagged panel models (CLP) were calculated in Mplus to model the interactions. The CLP model (CFI=.99, RMSEA=.014) showed that the level of competence in “object movement (t1)” significantly determined the “frequency of ball sports (t1-t2)” in children (β=.34). The “frequency of ball sports (t1)” itself was also related to “object movement (t1)” (β=.22), but not with their competence development. Furthermore, it was found that the level of competence in “self-movement (t1)” influenced the “frequency of individual sports (t1-t2)” in children (β=.20). The “frequency of individual sports (t1)” itself was not related to “self-movement (t1)” and their development. In addition, negative influences of “self-movement (t1)” on the “frequency of ball sports (t1-t2)” (β=-.17) were also observed. The analyses showed that the selection effect was more evident in the longitudinal study with preschool children. References: Herrmann, C., Bretz, K., Kress, J., & Seelig, H. (2025). Development of basic motor competencies during childhood (EMOKK): Documentation of items and scales – Survey 2020–2024. Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich. https://zenodo.org/doi/10.5281/zenodo.15494191. Herrmann, C., Ennigkeit, F., & Seelig, H. (Eds.). (2024). Motorische Basiskompetenzen: Konstrukt, Forschungsstand und Anwendung. Springer VS. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-45759-4. Measuring Social-Emotional Competencies in Sport: The BASES-Sport Validation Study Motor and socio-emotional competencies develop in early childhood through social interactions and physical activities, playing a crucial role in successful competence development. Such development is essential for participation in sports and leisure activities, fostering an active lifestyle, and supporting physical and mental health. Yet, research has often examined these domains in isolation. To bridge this gap, this study validates the Behavioral Assessment of Social – Emotional Skills in Sport (BASES-Sport), a structured observational tool designed to assess children’s social-emotional competencies during motorically demanding tasks. Data collection was integrated within the Zurich Learning Progress Study (LEAPS) and involved 270 children in their second year of kindergarten in the canton of Zurich. The assessment took place in a gymnasium setting and included three structured tasks: the Coordination Ladder Task (testing Self-Control and Persistence), the Throwing Task (Emotional Regulation), and the Movement Puzzle Task (Sociability, Assertiveness, Cooperative Skills). Children’s behaviors were video-recorded and later coded using a standardized scoring system adapted from BASES-Standard (Lieb et al., 2023; Lieb et al., 2025). To complement social-emotional assessments, motor competencies were evaluated using MOBAK-KG tests (Herrmann et al., 2020). At the time of submission, scoring of the video recordings is ongoing. Results will be available and presented at the conference. This validation study aims to establish BASES-Sport as a robust instrument for assessing social-emotional competencies in motorically demanding contexts. The findings will contribute to future research and practical applications in child development, physical education and sports psychology. References: Herrmann, C., Ferrari, I., Wälti, M., Wacker, S. & Kühnis, J. (2020). MOBAK-KG: Basic motor competencies in kindergarten. Test manual (3rd ed.). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3774438. Lieb, J., Steinhäusler, S., Raif, M., Maute, M., & Perren, S. (2023). Verhaltensbasierte Erfassung sozial-emotionaler Kompetenzen (Behavioral Assessment of Social-Emotional Skills—BASES). Auswertungsmanual (Scoring Manual). Pädagogische Hochschule Thurgau/ Universität Konstanz. Lieb, J., Perren, S., & Maute, M. (2025). Behavioral Assessment of Social-emotional Skills in Children (BASES): Validation of a Comprehensive Performance-based Observation Tool. Manuscript submitted for publication. Follow the Fox: Exploring Self-Perceptions and Sport in Preschoolers Self-perceptions are essential in children’s lives as they influence motivation, learning, and development across domains (Marsh & Craven, 2002). However, valid and age-appropriate tools for assessing domain-specific self-concepts in preschoolers are still scarce, wherefore a new line of instruments was developed. Specifically, this talk introduces the SEMOK (self-perceived gross motor competence; Bretz et al., 2025), the SE-M-ABC (self-perceived gross and fine motor competence; Dapp et al., 2025), the SESEK (self-perceived socio-emotional competence; Dapp et al., 2025) and the SESEK-Sport (under development). All instruments share a child-appropriate, pictorial format with a gender-neutral fox character modeling each task, as suggested by Bretz et al. (2024). Their close alignment with established competence measures enable valid comparisons between perceived and actual competencies. The second part of this contribution highlights how these tools can be used to capture the role of sport participation in shaping young children’s self-perceptions. While evidence suggests that physical activity fosters self-concept in older children and adolescents (Liu et al., 2015), the lack of age-appropriate measures has prevented systematic investigation of these processes in preschoolers. Drawing on data from the SNSF-funded MOSAIK project (N ≈ 300; part of the LEAPS study), we provide first insights into how sport participation relates to self-perceived competencies in early childhood. These findings illustrate the potential of pictorial self-concept measures to bridge developmental assessment and sport-related practice, opening new pathways for understanding how early experiences of movement shape the developing self and for designing interventions that foster confidence, competence, and active participation from the very beginning. References: Bretz, K., Dapp, L. C., Perren, S., & Herrmann, C. (2025). Self-Perceived Basic Motor Competencies in Kindergarten: The SEMOK-KG Instrument. OSF Registries. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YNH3B Bretz, K., Strotmeyer, A., Seelig, H., & Herrmann, C. (2024). Development and validation of a test instrument for the assessment of perceived basic motor competencies in first and second graders: The SEMOK-1-2 instrument. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1358170. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1358170 Dapp, L. C., Bretz, K., Niessner, C., & Bös, K. (2025). SE-M-ABC: A Child-Friendly Self-Perception Companion to the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. OSF Registries. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RQ2H5 Dapp, L. C., Bretz, K., Perren, S., & Herrmann, C. (2025). SESEK - A Pictorial Instrument for Assessing Self-Perceived Social-Emotional Competence in Children. OSF Registries. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/HBQ3C Liu, M., Wu, L., & Ming, Q. (2015). How does physical activity intervention improve self-esteem and self-concept in children and adolescents? Evidence from a meta-analysis. PloS one, 10(8), e0134804. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0134804 Marsh, H. W., Ellis, L. A., & Craven, R. G. (2002). How do preschool children feel about themselves? Unraveling measurement and multidimensional self-concept structure. Developmental Psychology, 38(3), 376–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.38.3.376 The interplay of actual and perceived motor competencies, physical activity and well-being: a child-centered approach Actual motor competencies (AMC) are crucial for healthy development. Higher AMC are associated with increased physical activity and the development of sport-specific skills, supporting lifelong involvement in movement (Hulteen et al., 2018). Conversely, low AMC can lead to negative interpersonal (peer problems) and intrapersonal (low self-assessment) outcomes, lowering well-being (Mancini et al., 2016). While positive self-esteem benefits health, few studies have explored the relationships among AMC, perceived motor competencies (PMC), and well-being in children. In this study a person-centered approach was used to identify groups of Swiss children sharing patterns in AMC, PMC, club sport participation, and well-being, and examined how these profiles differ by BMI, gender, and age. The sample included 427 first and second graders (M=7.78 years, SD=.70, 50.1% girls), from the EMOKK study, funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. AMC were assessed using the MOBAK-1-2 instrument and PMC by the SEMOK-1-2 questionnaire, with parental reports on sport participation and well-being. Three distinct profiles emerged: Profile 1 (15%) combined high AMC and PMC, frequent team sport participation, and high well-being. Profile 2 (74%) participated in individual sports with regular AMC/PMC and high well-being. Profile 3 (11%) exhibited low club sport activity, low AMC, overestimated PMC, and low wellbeing. These children may be “at risk” for health motor development. Findings suggest well-being may not only be an outcome of physical activity, but may also enable participation in play and sports, underscoring its role in promoting healthy motor development. References: Hulteen, R. M., Morgan, P. J., Barnett, L. M., Stodden, D. F., & Lubans, D. R. (2018). Development of Foundational Movement Skills: A Conceptual Model for Physical Activity Across the Lifespan. Sports Medicine, 48(7), 1533–1540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-0892-6 Mancini, V. O., Rigoli, D., Cairney, J., Roberts, L. D., & Piek, J. P. (2016). The Elaborated Environmental Stress Hypothesis as a Framework for Understanding the Association Between Motor Skills and Internalizing Problems: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00239 | |