Motor performance, reading, writing and arithmetic competence in Elementary School I

Abstract

This cross-sectional study, arising from a master's research, had as its main objective to investigate the motor performance in a group of Elementary School I students classified in lower levels of reading, writing and arithmetic competence tests. Students from the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th years of a Municipal Elementary School in São Paulo, of both genders, aged between 7 and 11 years participated in the research. The 104 participants were evaluated through three tests referring to reading, writing and arithmetic in order to obtain the sample group for this work.  Respectively, the Written Test under Dictation reduced version - PED-vr, Test of Competence of Reading of Words and Pseudowords - TCLPP and the Test of Arithmetic - PA were used as evaluations. The final group consisted of 35 students, who had, in any of the tests, a standard score between 70 and 84, considered low, or a standard score below 70, considered to be very low. This group was then evaluated by the Motor Development Scale - EDM, to verify motor performance. The results showed that there was a high concentration of students with low competence at the reading, writing and arithmetic tests in the lower and much lower classifications of EDM. The correlations between the academic tests and the EDM were more evidenced between the areas of temporal and spatial organization. It was concluded that the students who presented low competence in the evaluated tests also showed worse results in the motor performance.