The Impact of Integrating Play Exercises with Learning Aids on Teaching Fundamental Basketball Skills to Preparatory School Girls

Abstract

The modern game of basketball relies heavily on educational methods that align with societal advancements. The significance of this research lies in providing crucial cognitive information in the field of scientific inquiry. The outcomes of this study will serve as a reference for many researchers and educators. The aim of the research is to explore the impact of integrating practice drills with learning aids in teaching some fundamental basketball skills to middle school girls. The research investigates the preference between integrating practice drills with learning aids and the conventional curriculum followed in physical education. The problem identified by the researchers emerged from their observations of numerous physical education lessons for middle school students in Baghdad. They noticed that a significant number of instructors still adhere to traditional methods when teaching basketball skills to middle school girls. These traditional methods do not adequately utilize playful approaches and exploit the students' energies in exercises that simulate real-game scenarios. At this developmental stage, it is crucial to employ methods that allow students to apply the motor programs of the skills they have mastered. The researchers employed a controlled experimental method, designing two equivalent groups with equal numbers that underwent both pre-tests and post-tests. After implementing field research procedures, they developed exercises aimed at enhancing the learning of basketball skills within the curriculum prescribed for fifth-grade scientific students in middle school. The application of these exercises spanned eight weeks, consisting of one instructional unit per week, involving a sample of 40 students. Upon completion of the application, post-tests were conducted, and the statistical analysis yielded several conclusions. Most notably, the integration of play exercises with learning aids and the existing curriculum positively impacted fundamental basketball skills such as rebound passing, long passing, high dribbling, and ladder shooting. The experimental group outperformed the control group in the variables of rebound and long passing, high dribbling, and ladder shooting. The learning aids used in the study played a significant role in helping the experimental group identify performance errors and work towards correcting them. The main recommendations underscored the importance of incorporating play exercises with learning aids due to their positive impact on teaching fundamental basketball skills such as rebound passing, long passing, high dribbling, and ladder shooting. The recommendations also emphasized the need for physical education teachers to focus on educational models and motion performance recording. Such approaches contribute to creating an educational environment that allows students to actively participate, recognize performance errors, and take a more prominent role in their learning process. and this achieves one of the sustainable development goals of the United Nations in Iraq which is (Quality Education).