Assessing Motor Skill Performance in Saudi School-Age Children: A Cross-National Comparison with BOT-2 Norms

The motor development of children can be influenced by their environmental and cultural contexts, and the degree of this impact may become evident through motor assessment. This paper reports a study guided by the research question: What is the motor performance level of Saudi children compared to that reflected in the BOT-2 US norms? Male and female Saudi children (n = 188) in first, third, and fifth grades in eight government schools in and around Taif City wereb assessed using the long form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency second edition. Data analysis revealed that the Saudi sample across gender and age groups, typically performed skills at a level significantly below the US norms. Findings provide confirmation of consistent patterns identified in previous studies that appear to characterize the motor development of children in Arabic-speaking countries. Findings also strengthen the case for the Bruininks-Oseretsky test of motor proficiency second edition being a reliable instrument for assessing the motor performance of Saudi children. Cite this article as: Al-Thumali, F., Hay, S., & Beamish, A. W. (2025). Assessing motor skill performance in Saudi school-age children: A cross-national comparison with BOT-2 norms. HAYEF: Journal of Education, 22, 0003, doi: 10.5152/hayef.2025.24003