The effects of teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions on preschool children's motor competency.
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| Title: | The effects of teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions on preschool children's motor competency. |
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| Authors: | Marinšek, Miha1 (AUTHOR) miha.marinsek@um.si, Bedenik, Klemen2 (AUTHOR), Kovač, Marjeta3 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. Apr2026, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p274-290. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Motor ability, *Effective teaching, *Early childhood education, *Preschool children, *Eye-hand coordination, Locomotor control |
| Abstract: | Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are critical for children's overall development, yet inconsistencies in early childhood education curricula often hinder systematic skill acquisition. This study examined the effects of two instructional approaches – teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions – on the development of FMS in Slovenian kindergarten children aged 4–6 years. A total of 94 children were randomly assigned to teacher-led, teacher-guided, or control groups. Over a 13-week intervention, locomotor and ball skills were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and retention phases. Results revealed that teacher-led interventions significantly improved ball skills, such as throwing, dribbling, and striking, underscoring the importance of structured instruction and targeted feedback for tasks requiring technical precision. Teacher-guided interventions, by contrast, showed comparable success in enhancing locomotor skills, which benefit from autonomy-supportive, exploratory learning environments. The control group demonstrated minimal progress, highlighting the necessity of intentional FMS instruction. These findings reflect the unique socio-cultural emphasis on child-centred learning within the Slovenian educational framework, while reinforcing the global importance of aligning instructional strategies with developmental needs. A hybrid approach combining structured guidance for complex skills with exploratory methods for simpler tasks is proposed to optimise FMS development and promote motor competency in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Header | DbId: ehh DbLabel: Education Research Complete An: 193251550 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: The effects of teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions on preschool children's motor competency. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Marinšek%2C+Miha%22">Marinšek, Miha</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> miha.marinsek@um.si</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bedenik%2C+Klemen%22">Bedenik, Klemen</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kovač%2C+Marjeta%22">Kovač, Marjeta</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22European+Early+Childhood+Education+Research+Journal%22">European Early Childhood Education Research Journal</searchLink>. Apr2026, Vol. 34 Issue 2, p274-290. 17p. – Name: Subject Label: Subject Terms Group: Su Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Motor+ability%22">Motor ability</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Effective+teaching%22">Effective teaching</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Preschool+children%22">Preschool children</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Eye-hand+coordination%22">Eye-hand coordination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Locomotor+control%22">Locomotor control</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Fundamental movement skills (FMS) are critical for children's overall development, yet inconsistencies in early childhood education curricula often hinder systematic skill acquisition. This study examined the effects of two instructional approaches – teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions – on the development of FMS in Slovenian kindergarten children aged 4–6 years. A total of 94 children were randomly assigned to teacher-led, teacher-guided, or control groups. Over a 13-week intervention, locomotor and ball skills were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and retention phases. Results revealed that teacher-led interventions significantly improved ball skills, such as throwing, dribbling, and striking, underscoring the importance of structured instruction and targeted feedback for tasks requiring technical precision. Teacher-guided interventions, by contrast, showed comparable success in enhancing locomotor skills, which benefit from autonomy-supportive, exploratory learning environments. The control group demonstrated minimal progress, highlighting the necessity of intentional FMS instruction. These findings reflect the unique socio-cultural emphasis on child-centred learning within the Slovenian educational framework, while reinforcing the global importance of aligning instructional strategies with developmental needs. A hybrid approach combining structured guidance for complex skills with exploratory methods for simpler tasks is proposed to optimise FMS development and promote motor competency in early childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of European Early Childhood Education Research Journal is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=ehh&AN=193251550 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1080/1350293X.2025.2507258 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 17 StartPage: 274 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Motor ability Type: general – SubjectFull: Effective teaching Type: general – SubjectFull: Early childhood education Type: general – SubjectFull: Preschool children Type: general – SubjectFull: Eye-hand coordination Type: general – SubjectFull: Locomotor control Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: The effects of teacher-led and teacher-guided interventions on preschool children's motor competency. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Marinšek, Miha – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Bedenik, Klemen – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kovač, Marjeta IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 04 Text: Apr2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 1350293X Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 34 – Type: issue Value: 2 Titles: – TitleFull: European Early Childhood Education Research Journal Type: main |
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