Examining the physical literacy of children in early adolescence: Associations with sports participation status, perceived motor competence and problematic media use

The purpose of this study was to determine the physical literacy of children in early adolescence and to examine its relationships with their sports participation, perceived motor competence, and problematic media use. Secondly, it was to examine the predictive effects of the duration of sports participation, perceived motor competence, and problematic media use on the physical literacy subscales of children in early adolescence. The study sample consisted of 178 children (X̄age=10.87±0.87) who attended courses in the central municipalities of Denizli province during the spring of 2025 and were selected by randomly. Ninety-nine of the children were girls (X̄age=10.90±0.88) and 79 were boys (X̄age=10.84±0.87). A general information form, the "Children's Physical Literacy Scale", and the "Perceived Motor Proficiency Scale - Child Form" were applied to the children in the sample group, while the "Problematic Media Use Scale" was used for parents to fill out based on information about their children. Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine relationships in the data analysis, and regression analysis was used to determine predictive effects. Children in early adolescence typically have high levels of physical literacy, moderate levels of perceived motor competence, and low levels of problematic media use. This suggests that children are emotionally and cognitively strong but need support in terms of motor competence. The findings revealed that children's physical literacy levels were significantly and positively correlated with the sub-dimensions of perceived motor competence, particularly displacement and object control skills. While duration of sports participation alone was not a significant predictor, the quality of motor skills was a significant determinant of physical literacy. Problematic media use, on the other hand, was negatively and weakly correlated with physical literacy, but was not found to be a significant predictor. These results highlight the importance of structured movement education programs designed to develop children's motor skills to enhance their physical literacy.