CHAPTER 16

MEASURING GROWTH AND

MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
Jerry R. Thomas, Katherine T. Thomas,
and Jin H. Yan
Made by WANG YAN
16.1 WHY MEASURE CHARACTERISTICS AND
BEHAVIOR?
16.2 PRINCIPLES FOR DECIDING WHAT TO MEASURE
16.3 WHO SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN MEASURING
GROWTH, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT?
16.4 MEASURING CHARACTERISTCS THAT VARY OVER
TIME
16.5 EVALUATION
16.6 EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR SELECTING TESTS
16.7 MEASURING GROWTH
16.8 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH
16.9 MOTOR DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE
16.1 SUMMARY

Test!an instr"ment de#e$o%ed to

meas"re a s%e&i'i& &hara&teristi&

Meas!e"e#t!the a%%$i&ation o' a test

to assess a &hara&teristi& or (eha#ior

E$a%at&'#!"se o' meas"rements to

ma)e de&isions
()*+)WHY MEASURE
CHARACTERISTICS AND
BEHAVIOR?

*"antitati#e meas"res o' h"man

&hara&teristi&s and (eha#ior are a&&"rate
assessments that &an (e "sed in
de&ision+ma)in,.

-an (e "sed to assess norma$ &han,es

and &om%are those to esta($ished
standards.
16.2 PRINCIPLES FOR DECIDING
WHAT TO MEASURE

The &hara&teristi& or (eha#ior to e#a$"ate

sho"$d re'$e&t an as%e&t o' %hysi&a$
a&ti#ity and hea$th that is im%ortant.

The &hara&teristi& or (eha#ior to e#a$"ate

sho"$d re'$e&t an as%e&t o' motor
de#e$o%ment and %er'orman&e that is
im%ortant.
16.3 WHO SHOULD BE INTERESTED IN
MEASURING GROWTH, PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY, AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT?

/$ementary and se&ondary s&hoo$s

0hysi&ians

-oa&hes, re&reation $eaders

0arents
16.4 MEASURING CHARACTERISTCS
THAT VARY OVER TIME
Important Issues in Measurement and
Evaluation

#a$idity, re$ia(i$ity

s&a$es o' meas"rement.

norm+re'eren&ed e#a$"ation a

&riterion+re'eren&ed e#a$"ation

Test Re$ia(i$ity
1e'ore a test &an (e "se'"$ as a
meas"rement too$, it m"st (e sho2n to
yie$d re$ia($e in'ormation. that is
&onsistent s&ores on se%arate
o&&asions.

Test 3a$idity
To (e #a$id a test m"st 'irst (e re$ia($e.
Test #a$idity means that the test
meas"res 2hat yo" thin) it meas"res.

4&a$es o' 5eas"rement

4&a$es o' meas"rement re%resent the

s&ore "nits (y 2hi&h a test meas"res
%er'orman&e and in&$"de nomina$,
ordina$, inter#a$, and ratio s&a$es.
16.5 EVALUATION

norm+re'eren&ed e#a$"ation

&riterion+re'eren&ed e#a$"ation
16.6 EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR
SELECTING TESTS

5eas"re an important &hara&teristi& re$ated

to ,ro2th, %hysi&a$ a&ti#ity, or motor
de#e$o%ment6%er'orman&e

1e a valid and reliable indi&ator o' the

&hara&teristi& to (e meas"red 7e#iden&e o'
#a$idity and re$ia(i$ity sho"$d (e &ited8

Ha#e an appropriate scale o' meas"rement

'or its intended "se
16.7 MEASURING GROWTH
9ro2th is an im%ortant &hara&teristi& to tra&)
in in'an&y, ear$y &hi$dhood, &hi$dhood, and
ado$es&en&e.

4tat"re

:ei,ht

1ody 5ass ;nde<

1ody =atness

15; &omes 'rom a ratio o' 2ei,ht to

hei,ht and sho"$d (e &a$&"$ated and
re&orded ea&h time hei,ht and 2ei,ht is
meas"red.

The 'orm"$a 'or estimatin, 15; is

:ei,ht6Hei,ht2 75orro2, Ja&)son, >is&h,
? 5ood, 28, 2here 2ei,ht is re%orted
in )i$o,rams and hei,ht in meters.

Je@"ier 719878 re%orts the 'o$$o2in,

ran,es 'or 15; 'or ad"$tsA

2+25 B >esira($e

25+29 B 9rade ; o(esity

3+4 B 9rade ;; o(esity

C 4 B 5or(id o(esity
Y5-D e@"ation

=ema$esA E'at B .41563 < 7s"m o' 3 s)in'o$ds8

+ .112 < 7s"m o' 3 s)in'o$ds82 F .3661 <
a,e F 4.3653
r B.825, se B 3.89E

5a$esA E'at B .39287 < 7s"m o' 3 s)in'o$ds8 + .

15 < 7s"m o' 3 s)in'o$ds82 F .15772 < a,e
G 5.18845
r B .893, se B 3.63E

The r in the %re#io"s in'ormation re%resents

the &orre$ation (et2een the s"m o' the three
s)in'o$d sites and hydrostati& 2ei,ht.
16.8 PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND
HEALTH

Tests of Cardiovascular Endurance

Muscular Strength and Endurance

le!ibilit"

itness

IT#ESS$%&M

'resident(s Challenge test

Estimating 'h"sical &ctivit"

16.9 MOTOR DEVELOPMENT AND
PERFORMANCE

)ualitative Indices of Earl" Motor

*evelopment
+ften the earl" mar,ers of normal motor
develop -see Chapter ./ are 0hat ph"sicians
and parents can use to evaluate if the child is
developing normall".
The ta($e sho2s the 5th %er&enti$e at
2hi&h se#era$ motor mi$estones o&&"r in
(oys and ,ir$s. -om%arison o' a &hi$dHs
de#e$o%ment a,ainst these mi$estones
a$$o2s e#a$"ation o' norma$ de#e$o%ment

Motor *evelopment Tests

1r"inin)s+Iserets)y Test o' 5otor

0ro'i&ien&y

Test o' 9ross 5otor >e#e$o%ment 2

undamental Motor S,ills

undamental s,ills are the basis for developing

specific sport s,ills.

These s,ills are sometimes evaluated b"

components -0hat are the arms doing, 0hat are
the legs doing/ or as complete s,ills.

Measuring Sport S,ills

S,ills to be measured should be important

in the sport, thus "ielding construct validit"(

1hile s,ills should be simple to measure to

help assure reliabilit", performance
outcomes must discriminate among
individual performances

S,ills should be measured in field

settings 0ith minimal e2uipment re2uired

'rovide a number of trials in order to

obtain a representative performance
+ther Motor Characteristics

+ften other motor characteristics in

children and adolescents are measured.
In particular characteristics li,e speed,
balance, and agilit" are used.

3o0ever, 0e should recogni4e that these

characteristics are often closel" related to
the situation in 0hich the" are used.
MEASURING ,NOWLEDGE ABOUT
GROWTH, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT-PERFORMANCE

:hi$e 2e 2ant &hi$dren to in&rease their
%hysi&a$ a&ti#ity and s)i$$s and 2e sho"$d
meas"re &hi$drenHs ,ro2th, %hysi&a$
a&ti#ity, and motor
de#e$o%ment6%er'orman&e, 2e a$so 2ant
them to $earn 2hy %hysi&a$ a&ti#ity is
im%ortant and "nderstand ho2 to "se
s)i$$s e''e&ti#e$y d"rin, %er'orman&e.
SUMMARY

Testin,, meas"rin,, and e#a$"atin,

&hi$dren and ado$es&ents on ,ro2th,
%hysi&a$ a&ti#ity, motor de#e$o%ment and
%er'orman&e, and &o,niti#e )no2$ed,e is
an essentia$ %art o' s&hoo$ %ro,rams and
has %arti&"$ar #a$"e 'or %hysi&a$ ed"&ation
and &$assroom tea&hers, re&reation
$eaders, &oa&hes, %hysi&ians, and %arents.
Thanks a lot!