The Mediational Role of Perceived Physical Literacy: A Longitudinal Study From a Motor Development Perspective

Abstract

Physical literacy (PL) is an important aspect of children motor development. This study aimed to analyze the longitudinal relationship between children’s motor competence (MC) and physical activity (PA) including the mediational role of perceived PL and whether the invariance of the model remains consistent over time (Time 1 [T1] and 2 [T2]). The study involved 578 Spanish children (50% girls) aged 9.52 years (SD = 3.50) at baseline, who participated voluntarily. Whereas PL and PA were associated at T1, positive associations among all the variables were only found at T2. Specifically, perceived PL acted as a mediator between actual MC and PA at T2 (p < .05), mainly due to the physical and psychological domains. Furthermore, model invariance was found between T1 and T2 for both the overall and according to the domains, confirming the model’s stability over time. Longitudinal analysis at T2 (controlling for T1) showed that improvements in actual MC predicted increases in perceived PL, which in turn led to higher children’s PA engagement. The findings highlight the importance of teachers and stakeholders in promoting MC and perceived PL, as a holistic perspective of self-perception in motor development, to encourage lifelong PA and health over time.