Author: Yuki Matsuura1,2, Masahiro Kokubu2, Yosuke Sakairi2
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> Doctoral Program in Physical Education, Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
<sup>2</sup> Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
Conference/Journal: Psychol Rep
Date published: 2022 Apr 1
Other:
Volume ID: 125 , Issue ID: 2 , Pages: 1145-1164 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1177/0033294120988133. , Word Count: 195
The study aimed to investigate the effects of kinesthetic experiences on balance ability (using exercise balls for gymnastics) and on interpersonal relationships by comparing two different learning methods. Participants learning gymnastics during physical education classes at university were randomly allocated to a kinesthetic-experiential learning (KEL) group (n = 20) or a model-mastery learning (MML) group (n = 22). Both groups practiced a balancing exercise on an exercise ball. In the KEL group, participants were asked to pay attention to the sensations of their body on the ball in a variety of movements, whereas the MML group was asked to reproduce the instructions of the ideal model provided by an instructor. The results showed that the participants in the KEL group had longer balancing time on the exercise ball, higher self-evaluation scores, and higher interpersonal relationship scores than those in the MML group, although the objective evaluations of postural stability were better in the MML group than in the KEL group. These findings suggest that methods that provide learners with versatile kinesthetic experiences through a variety of movements are more effective for enhancing balance ability and interpersonal relationships.
Keywords: Learning methods; exercise ball; kinesthesis; physical education; skill acquisition.
PMID: 33573502 DOI: 10.1177/0033294120988133