Relationships between Gender Difference in Motor Performance and Age, Movement Skills and Physical Fitness among 3- to 6-year-old Japanese Children based on Effect Size Calculated by Meta-analysis

抄録

Gender differences in movement skills and physical fitness are explained by overt motor performance, which can be measured. Generally, motor performance develops in parallel with movement skill and physical fitness; however, the actual correlations have yet to be evaluated. The first purpose of the present study was to elucidate the relationships between gender differences in motor performance and age, movement skills and physical fitness among preschool-aged Japanese children by considering the relative influence of movement skills and physical fitness. The second purpose was to elucidate the relationship between gender differences and a combination of physical fitness and movement patterns. Gender differences were determined based on effect sizes calculated in a meta-analysis. In order to consider the interaction between movement skills and physical fitness, analyses were conducted using Quantification Method I. According to both the category weights calculated using this method and the means of the effect sizes, boys were more skilled at "throwing" and "muscular strength and explosive power". Although there were gender differences in the mean effect size observed for "walking" (boys > girls) and "ball control" (girls > boys), no differences were observed for category weights. Furthermore, although girls were more skilled in "running" and "kicking", no differences were observed for the means of the effect sizes. Different results were observed in gender differences for movement skills and physical fitness when comparing overt values of measurement and category weights in consideration of their relative influence. Movement skills showed a larger relation to effect sizes than age or physical fitness. Thus, the clearly observed gender differences in motor performance are not the result of physical maturity or physical fitness, but movement skills. The present results indicated that the combination of "manipulation and energy system", "manipulation and cybernetics" (boys > girls) and "stability and energy system" have an interactive effect on gender differences. Furthermore, these findings suggest that the combination of physical fitness and movement patterns should be considered when investigating the motor performance of preschool children.