Effect of the Project-based Learning Model, Age, and Motor Educability on Fundamental Motor Skills in Early Children

Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effect of the project-based learning model, age, and motor educability on the enhancement of fundamental motor skills in young children. Materials Methods: This experimental study with pre-test and post-test design was carried out on students between the ages of 8 and 9, during February and June of 2022, in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. Students participated in a 30-week Fundamental Movement Skills program that included one session (about 60 minutes) per week and was presented in community settings by a certified local instructor. The motor skills of students were tested before and after the intervention, and collected data were analyzed using Generalized Linear Model hypothesis testing. Findings: There were significant differences between the effects of the Project-based Learning Model for games with tools and games without tools (p=0.0001), as well as for high motor educability and low motor educability levels (p=0.031), on the enhancement of fundamental motor skills in post-test. Additionally, there was an interaction between the Project-based Learning Model and the motor educability level on the rise of fundamental motor skills in the post-test, which means that the two factors had an impact on each other’s effects on the fundamental motor skills. Conclusion: Fundamental motor skills are more influenced by games using the Project-based Learning Model paradigm than by games without tools, especially if children have high motor educability.