Motor Development

Code:

207

Acronym:

207

Instance: 2019/2020 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Sports Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LCD	242	First Degree in Sports Sciences (2011/2012)	2	-	5	60	135

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Motor development UC aims to show students the dynamics of human growth, biological maturation and motor performance of children and adolescents in varied contexts, namely sports and school related. Additionaly, it builds up an interpretative window around the theme of genetic and environmetal factors.
It also addresses main research questions related to fundamental motor skills within the first years of academic life of children.

Learning outcomes and competences

1º Develop aptitudes and competences which will allow students to formulate, from a dvelopmental perspective, problems and solutions by their pedagogical practises within the school context, in sports training, or other differentiated institutions on the sports-performance domain;
2º Acquire profound knowledge in human growth, biological maturation and motor performance;
3º Adequately identify the interactive scheme relating human growth and biological maturation in fundamental skills acquisition;
4º To know about variation conditional factors on human growth, biological maturation and motor performance - genetic and environmental, as well as to be acquainted with the famous debate - nature versus nurture;
5º To adequately interpret, based on diferent perspectives, the maisn ategory of sport sciences - motor and sports performance;
6º To be acquainted with the anthropological position to interpret motor performance - the allometric approach;
7º Acquire competences to deal with auxometric data as well as maturation, constrcut profiles of varied order, describe fundamental motor skills, interpret somatotypological data and body composition, assess physical fitness (normaltive and criterium referenced), and interpret the complex issue of sports performance.

Working method

Presencial

Program

All classes are divided in two intertwined building blocks - theoretical and laboratory. The program od the theoretical classes is as follows:

1º Motor development (MD) fundamental concepts and the why of study development.
2º Historical ideas and main researchers in MD. Main approaches.
3º Basic research designs in MD and its illustration from research conducted in Portugal.
4º Human growth: distance and velocity curves from norms to individual differences; growth curve modelling and its implementation in motor performance; growth organization.
5º Body composition development, its assessment, chemical maturity, changes in body composition and tracking.
6º Development of body physique; somatotype, uts quantification and graphical representation. Assessment and somatotyping children.
7º Biological maturation: concept and assessment systems. Alingning data from PHV and its application to motor performance.
8º Fundamental motor skills development. Positions of different authors.
9º Effects of physical activity/exercise in growth and biological maturation.
10º Development in musule strength, motor performance and maximal oxygen uptake.
11º Allometric perspective in interpreting motor performance data.
12º Genetic factors in human growth, biological maturation and motor performance.
13º Youth young athelte and the motor readiness concept. Readiness and treinability.
14º Socioeconomic ethnic and climate factors regulating variation in growth and biological maturation.
15º Secular trend in growth, biological maturation and motor performance.
16º Physical fitness assessment: concepts, test batteries and tracking.
17º Motor coordination and neuro-motor development. Concepts, assessment, normative changes and interindividual differences.
18º Physical activity. Concept, assessment and results.
19º Main research results done at the Kinanthropometry Laboratory (Porto, Portugal) in growth, biological maturation, and motor performance in children and adolescents.

The laboratory program is as follwos:
1º Anthropometric assessment based on linear dimensions and masses. Anthropometric indices.
2º Data quality control. Introduction to measurement precision.
3º Graphical method and data transformations. Profile analysis.
4º Morphological typologies - somatotype. Basic concepts and representation. Data transformation and indices.
5º Body composition assessment. Concepts and diversified methods to estimate different compartments of the body mass.
6º Physical fitness assessment. Normative and criterium based references. Test batteries health and performance related.
7º Physical activity assessment. Movement sensors (pedometers and accelerometers) and questionnaires.
8º Auxometry.

Mandatory literature

Malina Robert M.; Growth, maturation, and physical activity. ISBN: 0-87322-321-7
Haywood Kathleen M.; Life span motor development. ISBN: 978-0-7360-7552-7
Gabbard Carl P.; Lifelong motor development. ISBN: 0-07-114268-1
Gallahue David L.; Understanding motor development. ISBN: 0-697-29487-0
Armstrong N, van Mechellen W (eds); Paediatric Exercise Science and Medicine. Oxford, Oxford University Press
Freitas DL, Maia JA, Beunen GP, Lefevre JA, Claessens, AL, Marques AT, Rodrigues AL, Silva CA, Crespo MT; Crescimento somático, maturação biológica, aptidão física, actividade física e estatuto sócio-económico de crianças e adolescentes madeirenses, 2002

Teaching methods and learning activities

Formal teaching classes.
Laboratory classes aiming at learning research methodology, instrumentaion, topics in Motor Development and research  procedures.
Laboratory work.

keywords

Health sciences

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	80,00
Trabalho laboratorial	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	75,00
Frequência das aulas	60,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

"Ordinary" students:
Based on theGeneral Legislation from UP of May 19, 2010, the assessment process of this Unit will be made in different plans:

1. In the formal plan it is required that all students participate in 75% of all classes (theoretical and laboratory)
2. In the plan of laboratory assessment, which has to be positive, it is required active participation as well as a fulfilment of all laboratoty tasks, namely: (i) prersentation of a "topic" from the program list (theoretical and laboratory); (ii) a brief report of applied research.

Student-workers
Based on article 8, point 2, Republic Diary, 2ª série - nº 93 - 5 May 2014, to be able to attend the final exam in the Unit of Motor Development which is dependent on the following acts where the student is expected to obtain, at least 9.5 points (on a scale of 0 to 20) on the following tasks:
Act 1: Individual presentation in the Kinanthropometry Laboratory, in a specified date, one of the discussed in theoritical classes.
Act 2: Perform in the Kinathrpometry Laboratory, and the end of the semester, the following tasks: anthropometric measurements based on protocols, compute anthropometric indices, compute measurement precision and interpretation, body composition assessment based on doubly indirect methods and available equipment, compue somatotype and its indices, construct and interpre relative profiles as well as growth curves (distance and velocity).

The examined student should bring a coleague that will help in these tasks.

Notes:
1. Each assessing act is scored on a scale of 0 to 10 points.
2. The final mark in this UC is calculated as follows: 80% for the theoretical exam and230% for these acts (10% for act 1, and 10% for act 2).

Calculation formula of final grade

The final exam has a weight of 80%, and the laboratory part 20% of the final mark (FM). The laboratory mak (20%) is divided as follows: 10% for laboratory practises + 5% for assiduity + 5% for (interest.

Classification improvement

Those who want to renew his/her exam in orden to have another final mark should follow the available legislation. All these students have full suport from their teaching staff in order to optimize their knowledge and reduce their insufficiencies, namely in more problematic topics and problem solving.