THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MOVEMENT GAMES ON BALANCE AND FUNDAMENTAL MOTOR SKILLS IN FIFTH-GRADE PUPILS IN VINH CITY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Hung Manh Nguyen

Abstract


This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of these games on these specific skills of fifth-grade pupils. All participants were fifth-grade pupils aged 10 years in Vinh City, Vietnam. They volunteered to participate in the study and were randomly assigned to either a Movement Games Group (MG) or a Control Group (CG). A total of 150 pupils participated (n=75 per group; 45 males, 30 females for each group). The movement games group participated in a twelve-week program, engaging in movement games twice weekly outside of regular class time. Each 45-minute session included a 10-minute warm-up, a 25-minute main activity, and a 10-minute cool-down. Conversely, the control group maintained their regular school physical education classes but did not participate in any additional physical activity programs. Outcome measurements are the Flamingo balance test and physical fitness tests. Following the twelve-week intervention, the movement games group (MG) showed significantly superior performance compared to the control group (CG) in balance and fundamental motor skills tests. Namely, Flamingo balance (p = 0.000), sit-ups (p = 0.000), standing long jump (p = 0.000), 30m sprint (p = 0.000), and 4x10m shuttle run (p = 0.000). Notably, the MG demonstrated significant improvements in speed, body control, and endurance. This finding suggests that movement games can effectively enhance balance, upper and lower extremity strength, core strength, speed, body control, and endurance in fifth-grade pupils.

 

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balance, movement games, motor skills, school pupils

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejpe.v12i4.5933

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