Abstract
In general, boys are more proficient at OMS in childhood and adolescence (Barnett et al., 2010; Butterfield et al., 2012). Although it is recognized that girls often fall behind in terms of OMS development and participation in recreational activities (Sport for Life for Women and Girls, 2016), it is too often attributed to physiology and anatomy rather than educational support and developmentally appropriate programming. A 6 week intervention/program was designed specifically for girls to combine an inclusive, supportive and encouraging learning environment with multiple opportunities to develop, practice and refine OMS. This project used a 'pre-post test' methodology to evaluate change with the girls participating (within subject design), as well as the relative change compared to the boys in the same grade (between subjects design). The research team measured the acute impact of the all-girls OMS program as well as the retention levels by doing follow up measures 2 months after the intervention concluded. Validated product and process orientated motor proficiency measurement tools such as the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD-3) and the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT-2) were utilized to ensure that any change was reliably measured. There were no significant differences between the genders at baseline. The girls showed a 21.4% improvement in OMS using the BOT2 and a 4.3% improvement when measured using the TGMD3. This study demonstrates that the gender gap in OMS can be reduced with an intentionally designed all-girls PE program taught by an elementary specialist.Acknowledgments: Alberta Government - Recreation & Physical Activity Division