Descriptive analysis of psychomotor skills and road safety education in public and private preschool institutions in Ecuador

During early childhood, children require ongoing psychomotor activities that stimulate their motor development, thinking, and perception, as well as their understanding of the environment for safe development. The objective was to analyze the level of psychomotor development and road safety education in 4- to 5-year-old schoolchildren from private and public educational institutions in the Cuenca canton of Ecuador. Methodology: A cross-sectional study with a mixed approach was conducted with the participation of 367 schoolchildren (195 boys, 172 girls). A psychomotor assessment test and an observation form were administered to assess road safety knowledge. ANOVA tests and Pearson’s correlations were computed. Results: Regardless of the type of institution, women had higher scores on the total psychomotor test (M = 15.21 ± 3.68 pts.) than men (M = 14.35 ± 4.11 pts.; p = 0.038). Students from public institutions had lower scores on the total driver education test (M = 13.08 ± 3.43 pts.) than those from private institutions (M = 14.68 ± 2.93 pts.; p ≤ 0.0001). In conclusion, it is evident that women showed better psychomotor skills, and students from private institutions presented better knowledge of driver education