The Effectiveness of a Program Based on Progressive Educational Support in Improving Skill Performance and Deepening Knowledge of Some Basic Handball Skills

Abstract

This study aims to measure the effectiveness of an educational program based on the gradual educational support method in improving skill performance and deepening knowledge among second-year students in the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at Anbar University, in some basic handball skills, specifically the skill of receiving and delivering and the skill of shooting from the high jump, in addition to deepening knowledge related to aspects of the game.

The researcher adopted the experimental approach with a single-group design with pre- and post-tests (pre- and post-tests) on a sample of (50) students. A gradual educational program consisting of 16 educational units was implemented over 8 weeks, at a rate of two units per week. The program gradually provided support to students through three stages: full support, partial support, and then independence.

Standardized tools and tests were used to measure the skills under study, in addition to a questionnaire to measure cognitive depth, and appropriate statistical methods (arithmetic mean, standard deviation, and t-test for related samples) were employed to analyze the results.

The results showed statistically significant differences in favor of the dimensional measurements across all variables, indicating:

significant improvement in the performance of the receiving and passing skill, increased accuracy and speed in the high jump shooting skill, and a clear development in the depth of handball-related cognitive development.

The study concluded that the gradual educational support approach is an effective approach to developing learners' cognitive and skill performance, providing a structured learning environment that takes individual differences into account and enhances students' independence and self-confidence. The researcher recommended adopting this approach to teaching motor and mental skills in group games, and generalizing the program and applying it to other skills and games.