Effects of Self-Instructive Materials in Learning Selected Motor Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if elementary school children can learn selected physical skills by using self-instructive materials. Two classes of grade 4 children were used in this study. Two classes of 30 subjects, an experimental group and a control group, were pretested and post-tested with a skill test consisting of seven tumbling-gymnastic stunts. Each subject in the experimental group was given self-instructive materials and permitted to use in his own way. were guided and encouraged byr classroom teacher. The experimental group could work with the materials every day, both at home and at school, from early November to the middle of May. The control group did not use the materials. Analysis of the data indicated that children using self-instructive materials improved significantly in all areas tested.     

Bringing objectivity to motor skill assessment in children

ABSTRACT

The study purpose was to use Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) to objectively assess children’s motor competence in seven movement skills. Fourteen children aged from seven to 12 years (M = 9.64) participated. Children were asked to perform up to 10 trials of each skill. Children performed the skills, which were captured by XSENS MVN Awinda wireless motion capture, and video. Skills were assessed from video as per the criteria from the Test of Gross Motor Development 3. Initially, 17 IMU sensors were used for signal processing, but this was restricted to four sensors (wrists and ankles) to be more feasible for field assessment. Results of the signal testing against its modelled “Good” signal, showed the skip was classified correctly each time, as was the sidestep. Accuracy % rates for each skill were: kick (95.2), catch (95.0), throw (80.5), jump (78.9), and hop (76.9). Using signal processing-based methods via four sensors was a reliable and feasible way to assess seven motor skills in children. This approach means monitoring and assessment of children’s skills can be objective, which will potentially reduce the time involved in motor skill assessment and analysis for research, clinical, sport and education purposes.     

Modifying Equipment in Early Skill Development: A Tennis Perspective

Purpose: The International Tennis Federation recently launched a worldwide campaign advocating the use of equipment scaling for children learning to play tennis. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence that varying racquet sizes and ball compressions had on children's ability to play a forehand groundstroke. Method: This was a quantitative repeated-measures design experiment. Children were required to perform a forehand hitting task using each of 9 combinations of tennis racquets and balls (i.e., 3 racquet sizes × 3 ball compressions). Children's hitting performance was measured using a points system. The aim for the children was to score as many points as possible. Hitting technique was measured via video replay. Results: Hitting performance was best when the smallest racquet combined with the ball with the least compression was used. The ball with the least compression also promoted 2 technique benefits: swinging the racquet from low to high and striking the ball in front and to the side of the body. Conclusions: This study demonstrated the benefits for young children playing with scaled racquets and low-compression balls. The findings are discussed with regards to their relevance to theories of skill acquisition.     

Use of dual-task methodology for skill assessment and development: Examples from rugby league

Abstract

We assessed the attentional demands of drawing and passing in rugby league players and investigated the effects of single-task and dual-task training on the acquisition, retention, and transfer of skill in these athletes. In Study 1, high-skilled and lesser-skilled rugby league players performed a standardized 2-on-1 drill under single-task (primary skill in isolation) and dual-task (primary skill while performing a secondary verbal tone recognition task) conditions. No differences were detected in primary task performance between groups, although the performance of the high-skilled players was more resistant to skill decrement under dual-task conditions. In Study 2, high-performance rugby league players were randomly allocated to either a single-task or dual-task training group. Each group underwent 8 weeks of training between the pre- and post-test sessions. While the mean improvement for draw and pass proficiency under dual-task conditions in the dual-task training group was greater than in the single-task training group (10.0% vs. 2.3%), the differences, while providing a moderate effect size (d = 0.57), were not statistically significant. These results suggest that the attentional demands of drawing and passing are reduced in high-skilled rugby league players compared with their lesser-skilled counterparts. In addition, compared with single-task training, dual-task training appears to improve the ability to perform dual-task draw and pass tasks (possibly through an improvement in time-sharing skills). Further studies are required to verify the efficacy of dual-task training as a training stimulus.     

How does the modern football goalkeeper train? – An exploration of expert goalkeeper coaches’ skill training approaches

ABSTRACT

The football goalkeeper position arguably represents a unique role within the team sport. Despite its highly complex skill demands, research on football goalkeeping has only sporadically examined the position within isolated and limited parameters. In particular, there is limited literature on “modern” skill acquisition training methods and approaches within the field of goalkeeper training. In a cross-cultural study with fifteen expert goalkeeper coaches, researchers here examined the overarching research question of “how does the modern football goalkeeper train?”. Semi-structured interviews explored expert coaches’ views on critical skills for performance in goalkeeping and the training approaches used to develop these critical skills. Results indicate that four skill sets are considered essential by goalkeeper coaches, these are: decision-making skills, athleticism, mentality, and technical skills. In terms of developing these skills in goalkeeper-specific training, the majority of expert coaches apply a similar microstructure to training sessions. This structure involves a steady progression from simple to complex training tasks, where for large parts, isolated technical training appears to be prioritised over a holistic training approach that integrates technical skills and perceptual-cognitive components (e.g., decision making). Scientific and practical recommendations for researchers and practitioners in the field of football goalkeeper coaching are provided.     

Lactate and Phosphagen Levels in Muscle Immediately after a Maximum 300 m Run at Sea Level

Abstract

The relative effectiveness of six intensive training programs on the development of four selected skills was studied, with emphasis on limited time encountered within the semester organizational plan. One hundred and twenty college freshmen men volunteers were randomly assigned to training groups of 30 members each, which met for two sessions a week for 16 weeks.

Results indicated that: (a) direct practice jumping, alone or combined with repetitive sprinting or weight training, was significantly superior to weight training alone on standing broad jump development; (b) direct practice of a zigzag run was superior to both weight training and repetitive sprinting; and (c) when group acquisition of “adequate” skill is the objective, performance improvements educed over the first nine weeks were great enough to question the merits of persisting at an activity over a full semester. Only the zigzag run was adversely affected by the spring vacation cessation of training.     

The Effects of Three Styles of Teaching on the Psychomotor Performance And Social Skill Development of Fifth Grade Children

Abstract

The effects of Mosston's teaching styles B, C and E were examined in terms of motor skill acquisition and social skill development of fifth grade children. Ninety-six children, randomly selected and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups, were taught a hockey accuracy task. Motor performance data were collected prior to, midway through, and following training; they were analyzed within groups, to determine if learning was evident, and across groups, to examine the relative effectiveness of these three styles of teaching. Social behavior patterns observed during learner-to-learner interaction were also examined during a second task in which pairs of learners were asked to “help” each other learn the task. A 3 × 3 analysis of variance with repeated measures revealed that (1) all three groups learned the task and (2) they learned comparably well. It was concluded that these three styles of teaching are all effective in facilitating learning of this type of motor task. Style C, an arrangement in whcih learners work in pairs, one performing the task while being provided with formative feedback by the other, was found not only to produce comparable learning, but to significantly enhance social skill development on those behaviors associated with giving feedback and receiving it from a peer.     

The Role of Interference and Task Similarity on the Acquisition,Retention, and Transfer of Simple Motor Skills

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine if two levels of task similarity influenced acquisition, retention, and transfer performance of three simple motor skills. Sixty right-handed subjects were randomly assigned to one of five (n = 12) experimental conditions. Each subject performed 72 trials during acquisition. Twenty-four trials were recorded for each movement task. Following a 5-min unfilled retention interval, subjects performed 4 trials on each task before completing 12 transfer trials of a novel movement. Contextual interference effects for acquisition and retention were supported for low but not high similarity tasks. Further, the results suggest that a different memory representation exists for high and low similarity tasks.     

Effect of Divided Attention on Children's Rhythmic Response

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of selective attention in rhythmic response of children. A motor rhythmic response of grade 2 (N = 30) and grade 4 (N = 29) boys was examined with respect to the sensory modality of a secondary stimulus input. It is thought that the information processing capacity of children, as manifested in the processes of selective attention, may be a factor in the developmental changes in motor skill learning and performance. Using a rhythmic analysis system, subjects in each grade level performed ten blocks of five trials in one of three groups: control, audio interference, and visual interference. Output from a dual-channel recorder was scored to give time and space errors (AE and CE). Performance variation (VE) was calculated from the error scores. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed significantly better performance by the grade 4 subjects. The treatment conditions did not significantly impair performance as measured by CE error scores. The audio input resulted in significantly less consistent temporal performance (VE).     

A Systematic Review of Life Skill Development Through Sports Programs Serving Socially Vulnerable Youth

Purpose: Despite the strong belief in sports programs as a setting in which socially vulnerable youth can develop life skills, no overview exists of life skill development in sports programs serving this youth group. Therefore, the present systematic review provides an overview of the evidence on life skill development in sports programs serving socially vulnerable youth and, insofar as it was investigated in the included studies, of the conditions conducive to life skill development in these sports programs. Method: Potentially relevant studies published during 1990 to 2014 were identified by a search in 7 electronic databases. The search combined terms relating to (a) sport, (b) youth AND socially vulnerable, and (c) life skills. Eighteen of the 2,076 unique studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: Each included study reported that at least 1 life skill improved in youth who participated in the studied sports program. Improvements in cognitive and social life skills were more frequently reported than were improvements in emotional life skills. Only a few of the included studies investigated the conditions in the studied sports programs that made these programs conducive to life skill development. Conclusions: Sports programs have the potential to make a difference in the life skill development of socially vulnerable youth. This conclusion needs to be treated with some caution, because the studies experienced many challenges in reducing the risk for bias. Several alternative research strategies are suggested for future studies in this field.     

Analogy motor learning by young children: a study of rope skipping

Research in psychology suggests that provision of an instruction by analogy can enhance acquisition and understanding of knowledge. Limited research has been conducted to test this proposition in motor learning by children. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of analogy instructions in motor skill acquisition by children. Thirty-two children were randomly assigned to one of the two instruction protocols: analogy and explicit instruction protocols for a two-week rope skipping training. Each participant completed a pretest (Lesson 1), three practice sessions (Lesson 2–4), a posttest and a secondary task test (Lesson 5). Children in the analogy protocol displayed better rope skip performance than those in the explicit instruction protocol (p?<?.001). Moreover, a cognitive secondary task test indicated that children in the analogy protocol performed more effectively, whereas children in the explicit protocol displayed decrements in performance. Analogy learning may aid children to acquire complex motor skills, and have potential benefits related to reduced cognitive processing requirements.     

选择生成性运动技能的信息加工层次与认知编码策略的研究

运用认知心理学信息加工的理论与方法,从符号操作层次对运动技能获得和发展内在机制及认知编码策略进行研究。运动技能依据信息提取加工的不同层次可分为选择生成性和内在生成性两类。选择生成性运动技能信息加工具有层次性—获得、适应、扩展和匹配层次,并建立其信息加工层次的认知编码策略:获得层次精细加工编码策略;适应层次变异性编码策略;扩展层次高场干扰效应编码策略;匹配层次运动认知场线索整合与选择反应匹配编码策略。     

Improving Functional Movement Proficiency in Middle School Physical Education

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether functional movement proficiency could be improved as measured via the Functional Movement Screen using a standardized warm-up protocol in middle school physical education. A secondary purpose was to determine whether such improvement, if it occurred, would positively influence the technical performance of 4 fundamental motor skills: overhand throw, vertical jump, kicking, and running. Method: Participants were 120 7th- and 8th-grade physical education student volunteers. Two classes from each grade level were assigned to the functional group (N = 54) while the remaining 2 classes of each grade were assigned to the control group (N = 66). Baseline measures were obtained using the Functional Movement Screen and the Get Skilled: Get Active (2000) process-oriented motor skill assessment. For 6 weeks, the functional group warmed up by performing functional stretching, stability, and mobility exercises while the control group completed a traditional dynamic warm-up. Results: According to gain score analysis, those in the functional group significantly reduced dysfunctional movements (scores of 1) compared with those in the control group. Further, boys in the functional group significantly improved their Functional Movement Screen composite score as compared with their male counterparts in the control group whose scores declined. No differences were found for fundamental motor skill performance. Conclusion: Replacing the traditional dynamic warm-up with one that emphasizes functional movement in preparation for activity in physical education appears effective for correcting movement dysfunctions in young adolescents.     

Motor Performance of Girls from Twelve Through Eighteen Years of Age

Abstract

Three hundred girls in Georgia ranging from 12 through 18 years of age and enrolled in physical education from the seventh grade through the freshman year in college were given eight motor performance test items to measure running, jumping, throwing, speed, and agility. The study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that girls do not improve in motor performance after the age of 13.5 years, and also to investigate whether significant differences existed in motor skills according to age-grade level. Analysis of variance was used to test the significance of variation on each of the eight test items for the seven age-grade groups. Significance of differences in means for each test for each age-grade group was also calculated. Since ninth-grade girls, with a mean age of 14.4 years, scored highest on two items, tenth-grade girls scored highest on four items, and college girls scored highest on two tests, the hypothesis that girls generally do not evidence improvement in motor skills after the age of 13.5 was rejected.     

Little Girls in Pretty Shells: The Introduction of Lightweight Women's Events in Competitive International Rowing

In a sport that was predominantly ‘masculine’, women struggled for recognition, not least because they were regarded as weaker and therefore inferior to men; in addition, the dominant discourse within rowing suggested that to compete at the highest level would compromise an oarswoman's femininity. Thus, when women were admitted to international competition in 1954 it was under special conditions. Thereafter, though heavyweight oarswomen competed at international level, lightweights were effectively marginalized by the absence of a FISA-recognized classification. Though they were seen as more feminine than the ‘fat Russians’ who dominated women's heavyweight rowing, they were also subject to criticism because of the limitations that their physique imposed on their performance. The political battle within FISA to establish a lightweight women's class intensified in the ten years after international competition for lightweight men was approved in 1974. Eventually, in 1985, FISA recognized lightweight women's competitive international rowing, though it remained subject to important limitations.     

An analysis of practice activities and instructional behaviours used by youth soccer coaches during practice: Exploring the link between science and application

Abstract

We examined the practice activities and instructional behaviours employed by 25 youth soccer coaches during 70 different practice sessions. We evaluated the extent to which these activities and behaviours differ from those shown in contemporary research to best facilitate skill acquisition. Nine coaches worked with the under-9 years age group and eight coaches each with the under-13 and under-16 years age groups; nine of those coaches were employed at the elite level, nine at the sub-elite level, and seven at the non-elite level. Coaches had players spend more time in activities that were deemed less relevant to soccer match performance, termed “training form” (e.g. physical training, technique and skills practices), than activities deemed more relevant, termed “playing form” (e.g. small-sided/conditioned games and phase of play activities). Coaches provided high levels of instruction, feedback, and management, irrespective of the activity in which players engaged. Few differences in practice activities and instructional behaviours were reported across skill and age groups, implying the absence of any notable age- or skill-related progression. Findings are discussed with reference to recent research in the areas of skill acquisition, motor learning, and expert performance.     

Developing Coincident Timing Skill in Children: A Comparison of Training Methods

Abstract

The present study attempted to determine whether the nature of training experiences influences the development of coincident timing skill in young children. The task involved visual tracking of a moving light sequence and a 43 cm arm movement to a padded target. Subjects attempted to tap the target coincident with the completion of the light sequence. Sixty first grade children were randomly assigned to one of five groups, with an equal number of males and females in each group. Subjects assigned to the training groups received 48 trials on each of two days, with stimulus speeds that were either slow (179 cm/sec or 4 mph), fast (313 cm/sec or 7 mph), varied-random (179, 224, 268, 313 cm/sec or 4, 5, 6, 7 mph), or varied-blocked (i.e., 6 consecutive trials with one speed before changing to another). Control subjects performed a neutral coloring activity during the training phase of the experiment. All subjects were then given 10 trials on a third day with each of two stimulus speeds not experienced previously; one slow (134 cm/sec or 3 mph) and one fast (358 cm/sec or 8 mph). During transfer trials all groups were more accurate with the fast than with the slow speed stimulus. Training method mattered most during slow speed transfer trials, with the most accurate performance demonstrated by the group receiving varied-blocked speeds during training. The least effective methods were fast speed training, especially for males, and varied-random speed training. It was concluded that training sessions for the development of coincident timing skill in young children should emphasize slower speed stimuli and blocking of additional speeds which are more rapid.     

The Relationship of Cognitive Style and Instructional Strategy to Learning and Transfer of Motor Skills

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the games for understanding model by comparing it to a technique approach to instruction and a control group. The technique method focused primarily on skill instruction where the skill taught initially was incorporated into a game at the end of each lesson. The games for understanding approach emphasized developing tactical awareness and decision making in small game situations. Two physical education specialists taught field hockey using these approaches for 15 lessons (45 min each). The control group did not receive any field hockey instruction. Data were collected from 71 middle school children. Pretests and posttests were administered for hockey knowledge, skill, and game performance. Separate analyses of variance or analyses of covariance were conducted to examine group differences for cognitive and skill outcomes. The games for understanding group scored significantly higher on passing decision making than the technique and control groups during posttest game play and significantly higher than the control group for declarative and procedural knowledge. The games for understanding group scored significantly higher on control and passing execution than the other groups during posttest game play. For hockey skill, there were no significant differences among the treatment groups for accuracy, but the technique group recorded faster times than the control group on the posttest.