Equipment Modification for Motor Skill Acquisition in Primary Physical Education: A Classroom Action Research Study of Rubber-Ball Volleyball Underhand Passing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53905/inspiree.v7i03.192Keywords:
volleyball, underhand passing, physical education, motor skill, classroom action research, elementary school studentsAbstract
Background & objective: Volleyball underhand passing is a fundamental skill in primary PE, yet standard volleyball equipment may be difficult for novice children to control. This study examined whether integrating low-cost rubber-ball media into classroom instruction could improve Grade 4 students’ underhand-passing performance and achievement of a mastery criterion.
Materials & Methods: A prospective classroom action research design was implemented in one intact Grade 4 class at a state elementary school in Tebing Tinggi, Indonesia. Thirty-four students (n = 34) completed pre-cycle, Cycle I, and Cycle II assessments with no attrition. Instruction involved teacher explanation and demonstration, paired rubber-ball practice, repetition, feedback, and reinforcement of initial stance, execution, and final stance. Performance was assessed on a 0–100-point criterion-referenced scale; individual mastery was ≥75 points and classical mastery was ≥85% of students achieving mastery. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests with 95% confidence intervals and Cohen’s dz, and one-way repeated-measures ANOVA with partial eta squared (ηp²).
Results: Mastery increased from 10/34 students (29.41%) at pre-cycle to 26/34 (76.47%) in Cycle I and 30/34 (88.24%) in Cycle II, an overall increase of 58.82 percentage points and achievement of the ≥85% classical-mastery target. Mean performance increased from 67.94 ± 8.23 to 79.15 ± 9.02 and 83.56 ± 8.71 points. Pre-cycle to Cycle I improvement was 11.21 points (95% CI 9.74–12.68; t(33)=15.51; p<.001; dz=2.66), and Cycle I to Cycle II improved by 4.41 points (95% CI 3.54–5.29; t(33)=10.24; p<.001; dz=1.76). Overall improvement was 15.62 points (95% CI 14.01–17.22; t(33)=19.80; p<.001; dz=3.40); the repeated-measures effect was significant, F(2,66)=292.53, p<.001, ηp²=.899.
Conclusions: Rubber-ball-based instruction was associated with substantial within-classroom improvement and enabled the class to exceed its predefined mastery target. Internationally, the study provides a feasible low-cost equipment-adaptation strategy for primary PE, while controlled multisite studies are needed to establish causal effects and retention.
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