Validation of the Applicability and Standard Revision of the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment in Chinese Children Aged 8–12

Abstract

This study aims to assess the applicability of the Canadian Agility and Movement Skill Assessment (CAMSA) in Chinese children aged 8–12 and to undertake preliminary revisions for areas found to be unsuitable. A randomized sample of 911 children aged 8–12 underwent testing. The results showed that difficulty coefficients for time scores among 8–9-year-olds were relatively low (.21–.31), while the age-related differences in skill scores for children aged 8–12 were modest (.63–.68). Significant differences were observed between high and low-scoring groups in each age category (p < .05). Inter-rater, intra-rater and test-retest reliability ranged from r = .623 to .998 (p < .05), all indicating moderate to strong correlations. CAMSA demonstrated a moderate correlation with TGMD-3 (r = .430, p < .05), and the Bland–Altman plot indicated a high level of agreement. Overall scores showed an increasing trend with age, with males scoring higher than females. Following standard revisions, the difficulty coefficients for time scores (.32–.65) and skill scores (.59–.73) for children aged 8–12 were found to be more suitable for the Chinese population. Meanwhile, the discriminative capacity, reliability, and validity of the assessment continued to meet the required evaluation standards. In conclusion, the CAMSA demonstrates suitability for Chinese children across discrimination, reliability, and validity, with the exception of difficulty. Following standard revisions, the CAMSA is more appropriate for use with Chinese children.