The effects of physical education on changes of basic motor skills of female students in the fifth grade of elementary school

Abstract

Purpose: Thanks to the positive health effects of physical exercise, physical education is an integral part of the education system, with two hours per week, which is insufficient to achieve an optimal effect in transforming the anthropological status of children. The aim of the research was to determine the effects of regular and modified physical education with the application of contents from sports games (basketball, volleyball and handball) in the duration of one semester to changes in basic motor skills in pupils of the fifth grade of elementary school. Material: The study included N = 106 students of the V class, aged 10 to 11 years, clinically and mentally healthy, and with no pronounced morphological and locomotor impairments. The sample of examinees was divided into two subgroups. The first was an experimental group of 53 students, who carried out physical education classes according to the modified plan and program of sports games (basketball, volleyball and handball) for a semester. The other was a control group of 53 students who attended regular classes from physical education according to the current curriculum. Results: The results of the research at the descriptive level showed noticeable differences between the same groups in the final versus the initial measurements. Based on the results of the t-test for the control and experimental group, it can be concluded that there have been statistically significant changes in values on all variables of basic motor in the final compared to the initial measurement. By analyzing the results of the t-tests, it can be seen that the groups differ in the initial measurement only in one basic motor variable, MTAPN, and this difference is statistically significant in favor of the control group. In the final measurement, there are no significant differences between the control and the experimental group in the average values of all variables of basic motoring. Conclusions: Improving basic motor skills depends on the teacher's ability, the ability to transform the age with which he is working, and the success of certain training processes. The modified program of the experimental group has led to changes and thus proves the significant effect of the group's work program.