An evaluation of the Movement ABC-2 Test for use in Italy: A comparison of data from Italy and the UK.
The MABC-2 works in Italy, but Italian kids move a little differently, so local norms keep your decisions fair.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Zoia et al. (2019) compared Italian and UK children on the Movement ABC-2.
They ran the same 27 motor tasks with both groups. Then they used factor analysis to see if the test hangs together the same way in Italy.
What they found
Kids in the two countries scored differently on 11 of the 27 tasks.
The test still showed the same three-part structure, but small cultural differences matter.
How this fits with other research
Schulz et al. (2011) and Wagner et al. (2011) already proved the MABC-2 has three sound factors in English-speaking kids.
Zoia et al. (2019) extends that work by showing the structure also fits Italian children, so the tool travels.
Barton et al. (2019) looked at brain scans in children with developmental coordination disorder. Their null result keeps the focus on behavior, not brain, which aligns with using the MABC-2 for diagnosis.
Why it matters
If you test motor skills in Italian-speaking clients, use Italian norms. Small everyday differences, like how kids play outside, can shift scores enough to mislabel a child. Check the country column in the manual before you interpret any percentile.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The standardized test within the Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2nd edition (MABC-2) is used worldwide to assess motor problems in children. Ideally, any country using a test developed in another country should produce national norms to ensure that it functions effectively in the new context. AIM: The first objective of this study was to explore the differences in motor performance between Italian and British children. The second was to examine the structural validity of the test for the Italian sample. METHOD: A total of 718 Italian (IT) and 765 British (UK) children, aged 3-10 years, were individually tested on the age-appropriate items of the MABC-2 Test. RESULTS: Developmental trends emerged on every task and differences between IT and UK children were obtained on 11 of 27 task comparisons. Interactions between age and country indicated that differences were not consistently in favor of one culture. Confirmatory factor analysis generally supported the proposed structure of the MABC-2 Test. CONCLUSION: Although the differences between the IT and the UK children were relatively few, those that did emerge emphasize the need for population specific norms and suggest that cultural diversity in motor experiences should be considered when evaluating motor abilities in children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2019 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.04.013