The Relationship Between Motivation to Move and the Development of Fundamental Movement Skills Among Urban and Rural Preschool Children in Iran

Background: Many developmental theories have mentioned the motivation to move as a motor driver and used it to explain how children acquire new movement patterns. Objectives: Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation to move and the development of fundamental movement skills (FMS) among urban and rural preschool children in Iran. Methods: The statistical population of this cross-sectional study included a sample of 4-6-year-old preschool children and their caregivers from Khorramabad urban and rural areas in Iran. A sample of 400 (202 from urban areas and 198 from rural areas) were selected using stratified random sampling. Data collection tools included the Children Movement Motivation Questionnaire (CMMQ) and Test of Gross Motor Development–Third Edition (TGMD-3). The Pearson correlation coefficient and independent t-tests at a significance level of P 0.05 were used to analyze the research data. Results: In both groups of children resident in urban and rural areas, a positive and significant relationship was observed between the CMMQ and TGMD-3. A significant difference was found between urban and rural children on scores of the CMMQ and TGMD-3, with rural children scoring higher on both. Conclusions: This work provides support for the link between motivation and motor development in children. Moreover, the child’s environment also has an impact on both motivation and development. Both motivation and the child’s environment should be considered when developing programs that support typical development or rehabilitation plans for children who are not developing typically.