Živan Milosević1, Jovica Peulić2, Aleksandra Aleksić3, Dusko Bjelica4, Borko Katanic5
1Academy of Applied Studies, Unit for nursery and preschool teachers, Šabac, Serbia
2Preschool Institution ‘My Childhood’, Čačak, Serbia
3University of Nis, Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Nis, Serbia
4University of Montenegro, Faculty for Sports and Physical Education, Niksic, Montenegro
5Montenegrin Sports Academy, Podgorica, Montenegro
Gender Differences in Motor Competence among Preschool Children: Evidence from the KTK Test
Sport Mont 2026, 24(2), Ahead of Print | DOI: 10.26773/smj.260605
Abstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the level of motor competence in preschool children and to identify differences between boys and girls. The sample consisted of 94 preschool children, categorized by gender: 41 boys (mean age 6.25±0.29 years; height 119.17±5.16 cm; body mass 21.96±2.55 kg) and 53 girls (mean age 6.23±0.28 years; height 119.32±5.91 cm; body mass 21.99±3.98 kg). To assess motor competence, the Body Coordination Test for Children (Körperkoordinationstestfür Kinder; KTK) was used. The KTK consists of four motor subtests: Balancing Backwards, Moving Sideways, Hopping for Height, and Sideways Jumping. The raw scores of the four KTK tasks were converted into standardized Motor Quotient (MQ) scores using age- and sex-specific norms. MQ scores were then used to determine motor performance categories: Poor (1), Noticeable (2), Normal (3), Good (4), and High (5). Based on the t-test, boys achieved a significantly higher score in the Hopping for Height test (109.80 vs. 95.53, p=0.000), while no differences were observed between the groups in the other three tasks. Boys also scored higher than girls on the Total Grade (2.93 vs. 2.62, p=0.028), with both groups demonstrating, on average, normal motor performance. These findings suggest that there are some differences in motor competence between preschool boys and girls. However, further research with a larger sample is needed to generalize these results. Also, the findings suggest that children generally follow normal motor development; it is recommended to regularly conduct such assessments to identify weaker performance in individual children, which may indicate motor difficulties. This allows children to be promptly directed to appropriate interventions aimed at addressing and preventing motor impairments.
Keywords
body coordination, motor abilities, motor development, Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), preschoolers
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