Analele USV - Știința și arta mișcării

The impact of independent physical activity on psychomotor development and functional autonomy in lower secondary school students

Home / The impact of independent physical activity on psychomotor development and functional autonomy in lower secondary school students
Paper title:

The impact of independent physical activity on psychomotor development and functional autonomy in lower secondary school students
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4316/SAM.2025.0230
Published in: Volume XVIII issue 2/ 2025
Publishing date: 2025
Pages:
Author(s): Toma Alin Cătălin

Popescu Veronica
Abstract. In the contemporary educational context, marked by an increase in sedentary lifestyles and a decline in systematic physical activity among school-aged children, physical education is required to extend its formative role beyond the limits of formal lessons. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a structured independent physical activity program on psychomotor development and functional autonomy in lower secondary school students (aged 11–14), from the perspective of physical literacy. The research combined a theoretical analysis of physical literacy with a quasi-experimental study conducted between 2016 and 2019 on a sample of 300 students from three schools in Iași County, Romania. Anthropometric measurements, functional tests, and standardized motor tests were used to assess the impact of autonomous physical activity on somatic, cardiorespiratory, and motor parameters. Comparative analysis of initial and final data revealed significant improvements in speed, strength, endurance, coordination, and postural control in the experimental group, as well as a superior capacity for effort self-regulation. The results support the hypothesis that pedagogically guided independent physical activity contributes to the development of stable psychomotor competencies and functional autonomy, confirming the educational value of integrating physical literacy as an explicit objective of lower secondary physical education.
Keywords: education; physical literacy; independent physical activity; psychomotor development; functional autonomy; lower secondary education
References:
  1. Cârstea, (2000). Theory and methodology of physical education and sport. Bucharest: AN-DA.
  2. Cucoș, C. (2014). Pedagogy (3rd ed.). Iași: Polirom.
  3. Malina, R. M., Bouchard, C., & Bar-Or, O. (2004). Growth, maturation, and physical activity (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
  4. Mualem, R., et al. (2018). The effect of movement on cognitive performance. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 100. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00100
  5. Nikolić, D. S., et al. (2015). Motor abilities of children in urban and rural areas. Facta Universitatis: Physical Education and Sport
  6. Dragnea, A., & Teodorescu, S. (2002). Theory of sport. Bucharest: FEST.
  7. Hangu, G. (2016). Motor development in school children. Cluj-Napoca: Risoprint.
  8. Whitehead, M. (2010). Physical literacy: Throughout the lifecourse. Routledge.
  9. Leucea, I. (2010). Motor development of children and adolescents. Chișinău: Știința.
  10. Cristea, S. (2010). Fundamentals of pedagogy. Iași: Polirom.
  11. Richez, A. (2014). Perception spatiale et compétences motrices (Doctoral dissertation). Université Lille III.
Back to the journal content
Sari la conținut