The purpose of this study was to: (1) determine if process- and product-oriented measures similarly evaluate changes in motor skills across an intervention and (2) examine the relationship between preschoolers' motor skills when assessed using process-oriented and product-oriented measures before (pretest) and after (posttest) the intervention. Preschoolers (n= 65, M age= 4.6±0.42 years) completed both process- and product-oriented measures of six FMS- run, hop, jump, catch, throw, and kick, before and after a high-autonomy motor skill intervention. Aggregate total, locomotor, and ball skills, as well as each individual skill, were examined. Children demonstrated improvements in process-oriented (p<0.01) skills, but only improved on the product hop, throw, and kick (p<0.001) after the intervention. Children's ranks on process- and product-oriented measures were correlated at pretest (r s = 0.28-0.72) and posttest (r s = 0.39-0.68). Therefore, process- and product-oriented measures assess different aspects of motor competence and do not equally evaluate intervention efficacy.
Keywords: Head Start; assessment; measurement; movement skills; pediatrics.