Alretha Margaretha Du Plessis

Background: Proprioception encompasses position sense, posture and body movements, providing essential sensory information for learning and controlling movements, which is critical for children’s motor development, coordination and school readiness. Existing proprioceptive tests are primarily clinical, costly and difficult to apply in resource-limited settings, thus creating a need for feasible and reliable tasks to evaluate proprioception. Aim: This study aimed to establish inter-rater and test-retest reliability of existing proprioceptive tasks. Setting: This study was conducted in the Mangaung area of South Africa, involving participants from a Quintile 3 school. Methods: Twenty-four participants (50% males and 50% females) between the ages of 6 and 9 years completed six proprioceptive tasks on two occasions, 5 days apart. The performances were video recorded and rated by three reviewers. Test-retest and inter-rater reliability of each task item was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for a single rater and for absolute agreement across multiple raters. Results: Three of the tests exhibited moderate test-retest reliability (shoulder-level-arm-raise both arms, finger-to-nose total and shoulder-level-arm-raise total), and one showed good reliability (Finger-to-nose eyes closed). Inter-rater reliability showed greater consistency; excellent reliability was shown for two task items (Rhomberg and force perception), and three showed moderate reliability (shoulder-level-arm-raise, both arms, and preferred arm, angels-in-the-snow and reciprocal imitations). Conclusion: The proprioceptive task items were deemed reliable to use in a field-based setting for children. Contribution: This study provides the first evidence of reliability for field-based proprioceptive tasks for South African children, identifying several tasks that can be confidently applied in school and community settings.

Engagement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) remains a contested space in tertiary education. Within Human Movement Sciences (HMS) in South Africa, research tends to centre on discipline-specific inquiry, with limited engagement in pedagogical scholarship. As a newly formed Community of Practice (CoP), we set out to explore how SoTL might be integrated into our diverse academic contexts, without assuming a one-size-fits-all model. Since 2021, our group has used a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) design to guide collective inquiry, drawing on data from three workshops and a focus group, thematically analysed through democratic dialogue. Three interrelated themes emerged: professional identity, time to SoTL, and SoTL transformation through collaboration. These themes form a conceptual compass that academics use to navigate the complex decisions surrounding SoTL engagement. Identity and time were not fixed obstacles, but fluid constructs reshaped through CoP participation. Collaboration emerged as a powerful enabler of transformation, reducing the burden of individualised inquiry and fostering reflective, shared learning. Our findings support a flexible, context-sensitive approach to SoTL, grounded in autonomy, dialogue, and institutional responsiveness. We argue that such an approach holds promise for reimagining SoTL as an integrated, sustainable aspect of academic practice.

Many Human Movement Science (HMS) lecturers in South Africa seek to implement evidence-based teaching practices to improve student success, yet little research explores whether SoTL literature meets their needs. This study examines how Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) literature in Biokinetics, Sport Science, Coaching Science, Recreation Sciences, and Kinderkinetics aligns with the needs of a Community of Practice (CoP) at a South African university. A scoping review of SoTL publications (2013–2024) identified 35 articles categorised into seven themes. Findings were compared with qualitative insights from three Action Learning Set (ALS) meetings conducted using a Participatory Action Learning and Action Research study design. The analysis revealed gaps in understanding HMS students and the mental well-being of both lecturers and students, along with challenges in blended learning. Potential solutions include re-evaluating entry requirements, integrating reflective exercises, fostering professional identity through authentic learning, incorporating psychometric assessments, and deploying early diagnostic tools to identify at-risk students. Blended learning strategies like team-based learning may enhance student engagement. Furthermore, collaborative efforts by students, lecturers, and experts may support teaching practices. These findings extend beyond South Africa, offering practical steps for addressing a CoP’s needs through literature and ALS meetings. Future research should involve a broader range of higher education settings and integrate diverse perspectives within Communities of Practice to further refine evidence-based teaching strategies.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) communities of practice (CoP) have emerged as collaborative learning environments that unite people with a shared interest. However, forming and maintaining a successful SoTL CoP can be challenging, requiring careful planning and execution. As academics, we encounter various universal problems and challenges in our teaching and learning practices, particularly in a discipline-focused environment. Researching these challenges is the obvious path to finding answers. However, many discipline-focused academics are unsure of where to begin or how to conduct research on their teaching and learning. As novice SoTL researchers, we established a SoTL CoP in 2021. We used Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) principles to form and function our CoP. After two years of successfully maintaining our SoTL CoP, we analysed the data gathered during our meetings. We identified four main themes: Unity in diversity, maximising collaborative potential, nurturing collaboration, and navigating success. We used these themes to compile guidelines for successfully forming and maintaining a SoTL CoP. Implementing these guidelines within a discipline-focused environment will support the development of a collaborative and supportive environment for the advancement of SoTL practices. By prioritising these guidelines, a CoP can thrive, fostering a collaborative and cohesive community where members actively participate, share their expertise, and contribute to collective growth within SoTL. Photo created using DALLE-3, 2024.

Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is a motor coordination disorder that persists if intervention is not provided. Local guidelines are unavailable for intervention in children with probable DCD (p-DCD), and the aim of this study was to develop a motor intervention framework focusing specifically on the South African population within the scope of kinderkinetics, based on expert information, as a guideline for children with DCD or p-DCD. Twenty-nine kinderkinetics experts from South Africa participated in a three-round e-Delphi process. Round one obtained consensus and opinions from the experts by reviewing literature findings on intervention for children with DCD or p-DCD. Rounds two and three were based on answers and opinions provided in round one to determine an 80% agreement to accept the statement. Ten main elements formed the foundation for the motor intervention framework. The main focus areas of the framework were intervention planning, goal setting, intervention approaches, intervention apparatus, intervention delivery mode, additional role players, settings, dosage (time, duration, frequency and number of sessions), and evaluation. Understanding that the causes of DCD are heterogeneous was essential in finalising the framework. The research provided unique and collated feedback from kinderkinetics experts to develop a motor intervention framework for children with DCD or p-DCD within the scope of kinderkinetics in South Africa.

The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is an emerging focus within South Africa (SA). In Human Movement Sciences (HMS) in SA, research is primarily discipline-specific, and many researchers are unfamiliar with SoTL. To explore how we (as HMS lecturers) could integrate SoTL into our research, we formed a community of practice (CoP). The SoTL unicycle depiction of Swart et al. (2016) suited our visual analogy since the focus of HMS is on the human body that is in motion. For us, the unicycle represented HMS SoTL in motion. Swart et al. (2016) viewed the SoTL movement as an academic’s individual journey, whereas we saw SoTL from a CoP perspective. Therefore, we adapted the unicycle into a tandem bicycle, representing our collaborative engagements. Participatory action learning and action research (PALAR) formed our theoretical framework. Through our dialogue, each tandem wheel’s focus emerged. The back wheel was about deciding to SoTL (or not). This became a linchpin of our critical dialogue during the relationship-building phase of our CoP. Once we committed, we needed to learn how to keep our CoP moving forward. This became the middle wheel of our tandem bicycle. Next, the front wheel and handlebar became our guide into what the future of SoTL would be for us. The tandem bicycle, therefore, represents our collective cycles of learning as we became SoTL researchers. We believe our learning can support others transitioning from discipline-specific research to engaging in SoTL. *Please note that this poster is best viewed in Adobe on a computer/laptop for interactivity. Click here to read the corresponding ISSOTL blog post.

Adequate development of Fundamental Motor Skills (FMS) at a young age benefit holistic development and positive health outcomes. This study determined age and sex developmental differences in the state and the relationships between process and product assessments of four fundamental-motor skills (FMS) in five to eight-year-olds. An availability sample of 636 children; 291 boys, 345 girls, mean age of 6.8 ± 0.97 years in the North West Province of South Africa participated in the study. Spearman rank order correlations analyzed relationships between assessments, while sex and age differences were examined using independent t-testing and one-way ANOVA. Age showed significant developmental trajectories in all FMS. Older children were found to be more at risk for not learning FMS to mastery, while unique developmental patterns were also established compared to international trends. Strong to moderate significant practical associations (p < 0.05) emerged between process and product assessments in catching (r = 0.79), jumping (r = 0.40) running (r = −0.33) and kicking (r = 0.20), while also confirming that the strength of the associations varies depending upon the skill type. Associations strengthened with increasing age, were higher in girls in all FMS, while associations between behavioral criteria in all FMS also differed between FMS and sexes. These strong associations, need to be taken into consideration during the development of FMS towards obtaining full mastery.

The South African Journal of Childhood Education (SAJCE) is a peer-reviewed journal that provides a forum for the dissemination of research in childhood learning and development and the care and education of children from birth to 12 years. The journal is interdisciplinary in scope and seeks to stimulate the exchange of ideas in a variety of subjects, contexts, and issues in childhood education and child care.

Background: Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) affects motor skills and consequently has an impact on the performance in daily living activities of learners with this impairment.Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of possible DCD in Grade 1 (Gr. 1) learners in a low socio-economic environment in Mangaung, South Africa.Setting: The study was conducted in the Mangaung Metro, Motheo District, Free State Province. Gr. 1 learners, 6–8 years old (n = 242), from a low socio-economic environment attending Quintile 1–3 schools were randomly selected for assessment.Methods: The Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) was used to identify learners with possible DCD. Furthermore, results were compared with regard to gender.Results: Of the 242 learners, 9.9% were identified with possible DCD. With regard to gender, 10.5% of boys and 9.3% of girls showed signs of possible DCD. No significant difference (p = 0.9439) has been found between boys and girls.Conclusion: The prevalence of possible DCD among Gr. 1 learners in this setting was higher than that in previously reported studies in other low and high socio-economic environments of South Africa. Further research is required to establish the full extent of possible DCD within learners living in low socio-economic environments.