Gross motor coordination,motivation and attitudes towards traffic rules in primary school children: A quasi-experimental pre–post cycling intervention study

Abstract

Despite the extensive research on cycling as a form of active transport, studies examining this physical activity from motivational and motor development perspectives remain limited. The possibilities that school cycling offers for improving perceptual and motor skills, achieving greater student motivation and encouraging a better attitude towards traffic behaviour in children are lines of research that must be explored in physical education (PE). This study examines the effects of an eight-session cycling intervention in PE on Gross Motor Coordination (GMC), Motivation Towards PE (MTPE) and Attitudes Towards Traffic Rules (ATTR) among primary school students. A total of 236 students (M_age = 11.30) were divided into an experimental group, which participated in the cycling programme, and a control group, which continued with regular PE. The ludo-technical methodology was applied to teach the technical skills of cycling from a comprehensive and playful approach. Pre- and post-evaluations included the Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder (KTK), the Motivation Questionnaire for PE in Primary Education (CMEF-EP) and the ATTR scale. Results indicated that after the application of the cycling intervention programme, participants in the experimental group showed higher effect sizes in GMC (d = 0.483 vs. d = 0.320) and MTPE (d = 0.185 vs. d = −0.175), while maintaining high levels of ATTR (d = 0.015 vs. d = −0.150) compared to those in the control group. These findings suggest that integrating cycling into PE is associated with higher motor coordination and motivation, and with the maintenance of positive ATTR in primary school children.