Advances in Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 536

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are thrilled to invite you to contribute this Special Issue of the journal Children, which will focus on motor competence and physical activity in school children. In an era marked by the increasing prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and a decline in physical activity among children, this Special Issue aims to shed light on the critical relationship between motor competence and physical activity levels in school-aged children.

Considering the success and popularity of the Special Issue ‘Motor Competence and Physical Activity in School Children’ published previously in the journal Children (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/children/special_issues/5928VHHTS0), we are pleased to release this follow-up Special Issue, which aims to provide a platform for researchers to explore various aspects of motor competence, ranging from fundamental motor skill development to the promotion of physical activity in educational settings. We encourage submissions that examine the impact of motor competence on overall health, academic performance, and psychosocial well-being in children. By fostering a deeper understanding of these inter-related factors, we aim to inform strategies and interventions that can enhance the health and well-being of the youngest generation.

We look forward to receiving your innovative contributions, which will help shape the future of children's physical activity and motor competence research.

Dr. Ali S. Brian
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • motor competence
  • physical activity
  • school-aged children
  • fundamental motor skills
  • health-related fitness
  • academic performance

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

10 pages, 304 KB  
Article
The Health-Related Quality of Life and Putative Factors of Icelandic and American Youth with Multiple Disabilities Including Visual Impairments: A Preliminary Investigation
by Ali Brian, Andrea Taliaferro, Pamela Beach, Benjamin Lytle, Adam Pennell, Lauren Lieberman and Ingi Einarsson
Children 2026, 13(3), 351; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13030351 - 28 Feb 2026
Viewed by 248
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a critical indicator of developmental progress, educational engagement, and psychosocial resilience. By identifying both shared and context-specific differences in HRQoL, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of well-being that can inform the development [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a critical indicator of developmental progress, educational engagement, and psychosocial resilience. By identifying both shared and context-specific differences in HRQoL, we aim to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of well-being that can inform the development of assessment approaches and future research tailored to the diverse contexts in which children with disabilities live and learn. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore HRQoL and its putative influencing factors among youth with multiple disabilities across two distinct cultural settings, the United States and Iceland. Methods: Participants (N = 26; Icelandic = 50%; Mage = 16.34 ± 2.33 years) completed height, weight, the Test of Perceived Physical Competence (TPPC), Supine-to-Stand (STS), Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), and VISIONS QL. We conducted five, 2 group × 2 sex ANOVA and several independent samples t-tests within groups by sex for our variables of interest. Results: There was a significant difference between Icelandic boys and girls for BMI (p = 0.087, d = 0.65) and STS (p = 0.027, d = 1.04). Conversely, a significant difference was found in the American group between boys and girls for RAPA (p = 0.092, d = 0.81) and TPPC (p = 0.068, d = 0.92). Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that patterns in objective and self-reported health indicators may vary by context. These results highlight the importance of considering both measured performance and self-perceived health when examining HRQoL among adolescents with multiple disabilities, while underscoring the need for further research in larger samples to clarify these relationships. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop