Effect of different instructional media on acquisition of martial arts skills by elementary school students

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of different instructional modes on teaching one of the popular martial arts, Baduanjin. The Grade-4 learners (N=81) that were recruited were assigned to one of three groups: picture-based instruction, videobased instruction and live-modelling instruction. All the students received four instruction sessions within two weeks. The measurements were a retention performance test conducted immediately after the students completed all the instruction sessions and another retention performance test conducted four weeks later. Through the analysis of one-way ANOVAs, significant differences were identified in the scores of the three groups. Students who received the picture- ased instruction exhibited lower performance accuracy than those who received videobased and live-modelling instruction in both their retention and delayed retention tests. No significant difference was found between the video and the live-modelling groups. The implications of these results for the design of computer-assisted motor skills learning are discussed.

Key words: Elementary education; Physical education; Multimedia instruction; Martial arts.