Abstract

MARMELEIRA, José Francisco Filipe  and  ABREU, João Paulo. The motor proficiency development in gypsy and non-gypsy children: a comparative study. Motri. [online]. 2007, vol.3, n.1, pp.289-297. ISSN 1646-107X.

The objective of this study was to investigate possible influences of ethnicity on motor development. The sample comprised 60 children of both genders with 7, 8 and 9 years of age: 30 gypsy children who attended an elementary school in Moura; 30 non-gypsy children who attended an elementary school in Lisboa. The short form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was used to study and compare the motor development level of the sample groups. We concluded that the non-gypsy children in comparison to the gypsy children, revealed significative superior results in gross motor performance (p=0,015), fine motor performance (p=0,000) and in motor proficiency (p=0,005).  

Keywords : motor development; sociocultural background; gypsies.

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