"The Contribution of Learning Styles and Thinking Styles in Predicting the Performance Level of the Headstand Skill in Artistic

Abstract

This research aims to explore the interactive relationship between learning styles, thinking styles, and the level of achievement in the headstand skill within artistic gymnastics, regarded as a fundamental skill that integrates balance, neuromuscular control, and precision of movement. The study employed the descriptive–analytical method using the correlational approach, as it best suits the nature of the investigated phenomenon by examining the type and strength of associations among cognitive, psychological, and motor variables.The research population comprised second-year female students from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, with a randomly selected sample of 35 participants. The instruments utilized included Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory (LSI), Sternberg’s Thinking Styles Inventory (TSI), and a technical performance test of the headstand skill aligned with the standards of the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) Findings revealed statistically significant correlations between learning styles, thinking styles, and the level of motor performance, emphasizing that the integration of cognitive and motor dimensions fosters higher efficiency in motor learning. The study recommends adopting interactive instructional strategies grounded in learners’ distinct cognitive and stylistic profiles to optimize skill achievement in artistic gymnastics and to enrich the educational process through a contemporary psychomotor perspective.Keywords: Learning styles, Thinking styles, Artistic gymnastics, Motor performance, Headstand, Motor learning.