The impact of educational units using exploratory games on some rhythmic gymnastics skills of female students

Abstract

Physical education lessons must incorporate exploratory games, as they are essential aids in learning many fundamental skills across various sports. Through these games, students have the opportunity to experiment with assigned movements in an interactive, self-directed environment that fosters freedom of movement, enabling them to understand the nuances of each action. This research aims to develop educational units using exploratory games in rhythmic gymnastics for female students. This study aimed to determine the impact of educational units using exploratory games on certain rhythmic gymnastics skills among female students. The researcher employed an experimental design with a pre-test/post-test experimental group. The research population consisted of 36 third-year female students from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at Wasit University, divided into two sections (A and B). The research sample was selected purposively, with section (A) comprising 15 students (50% of the total population) after the exclusion of 3 students. To achieve the research objectives, the researcher prepared exploratory games, which are games that include some rhythmic gymnastics skills using a discovery approach to learn skills (the bar, the ball, and the ribbon). After administering the tests and implementing the educational units, the researcher reached conclusions, the most important of which are:

The exploratory game-based learning units demonstrated a remarkable and positive improvement in developing students' skills in controlling and coordinating the three instruments (the bar, the ball, and the ribbon). The exploratory approach helped overcome the difficulty of coordinating the two bars together, enabling students to overcome their fear of collisions and develop their hoop, throwing, and catching skills effectively.