THE EFFECT OF PARKOUR INTERVENTION ON FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS’ MOTOR, COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS; A MIXED METHODS STUDY

2023-7
Yolcu, Oğuzhan.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an eight-week parkour intervention based on the adventure education model on fourth-grade students' 1) motor skills, cognitive skills, and social-emotional skills 2) to explore the students' perceptions of the intervention and their overall thoughts about it. The study involved 55 students from three different village schools, with 28 students (Mage=9.63, SD=.60) in the intervention group and 27 (Mage=9.79, SD=.62) in the comparison group. The mixed-method experimental design was used in the study to answer the research questions. Motor coordination, perceived motor competence, divergent thinking, and motor creativity variables were measured using four quantitative data collection tools. Qualitative data were obtained through field notes, semi-structured and group interviews. The intervention group received an eight-week parkour intervention, while the comparison group continued the regular program. The findings showed that students who received parkour intervention based on the adventure education model improved significantly more in motor coordination (p<.001), perceived motor competence (p=.009), fluency in divergent thinking (p<.001), originality in divergent thinking (p=.009) and motor creativity (p=.003) skills after the pre-test data were controlled. The qualitative data from the intervention group supported the quantitative results and provided further insight into the students' experiences. The study concluded that the adventure education model and parkour could be an effective and cost-efficient alternative for achieving physical, social, and cognitive outcomes in physical education and sport, particularly in schools without sports facilities.
Citation Formats
O. Yolcu, “THE EFFECT OF PARKOUR INTERVENTION ON FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS’ MOTOR, COGNITIVE AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS; A MIXED METHODS STUDY,” Ph.D. - Doctoral Program, Middle East Technical University, 2023.