Introduction: Manipulative motor skills are an important aspect of the motor development of elementary school-aged children. Objective: This study aims to analyze differences in manipulative motor skills between male and female students and identify factors influencing these differences. Methodology: This study used an explanatory sequential design. A total of 27 sixth-grade elementary school students participated. The instruments used were the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis was conducted using an independent two-sample t-test, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: Male students had significantly higher manipulative skill scores than female students. The qualitative analysis identified three main themes: (1) male students had a higher frequency of practice and interest in ball games; (2) female students experienced physical barriers and less supportive activity preferences; (3) female students demonstrated a more dominant perception of movement difficulties. Discussion: The importance of differentiated learning that takes into account differences in gender, interests, and physical barriers in students. Teachers need to provide support and equitable opportunities so that every student, both boys and girls, can develop their manipulative movement skills optimally and inclusively. Conclusions: Gender influences students' manipulative skills. Developing a physical education learning model based on group and differentiated games is necessary to reasonably and effectively accommodate the differences in movement modalities and the potential of each student.
Razali et al. (Wed,) studied this question.