Can the Doman method improve motor competence in children of 4 years of age? A quasi-experimental study of two Physical Education programmes in preschool education

Abstract

Early childhood is a key stage for promoting Physical Education as a means for improving motor competence in children. With this in mind, is there a particular psychomotor stimulation method that can improve said competence? The aim of this study was to analyse and compare the effects on motor competence of two Physical Education and psychomotor stimulation programmes in 4-year-old children. The psychomotor profile of a sample of 49 preschool children (53.1% boys and 46.9% girls; Mage = 4.66, SD = 0.27) was examined using a quasi-experimental model and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2). The percentiles achieved in the tests that make up the battery were measured, which were grouped into three domains: manual dexterity, aiming and catching and balance, as well as the overall psychomotor profile. The control group (n = 25, 52% boys and 48% girls) followed an annual Physical Education programme consisting of a single 50-minute weekly session. The experimental group (n = 24, 54.2% boys and 45.8% girls) followed an early psychomotor stimulation programme based on the Doman method, with 5 weekly sessions lasting 25 minutes each. The results show no significant differences in the psychomotor profile between the control and experimental groups, both in the total percentile and in the percentile of manual dexterity, aiming and catching or balance. Significant differences were found in both groups between the pre-test and the post-test, with greater differences displayed in the control group. The findings suggest that a single session of Physical Education has a greater impact on the psychomotor profile than 5 weekly 25-minute sessions following the Doman method of early stimulation. Furthermore, these findings also point to the need to provide personalised Physical Education that enhances the psychomotor profile of each child.