The Impact of Blended Learning and Direct Video Feedback on Primary School Students’ Three-Step Ball Throwing Technique

The purpose of this study was to evaluate three distinct methods of teaching the three-step ball throw simulating the javelin throw technique to primary school students. The sample consisted of 131 primary school students of 5th and 6th grade (Mage = 11.4, SD = 0.47 years) randomly divided into three groups. The control group (CON) received typical instruction, the first experimental group (EXP) followed a blended learning intervention which included an interactive learning activity software and the second experimental group (EXPVF) followed the same blended learning method with an additional direct video feedback system. A pre/post-test design was implemented to evaluate students’ technique, using as criteria five selected technique elements of the three-step ball throw. Wilcoxon signed-rank test analysis showed that all three groups performed significantly better after the intervention in all five criteria. However, Kruskal-Wallis H test analysis with post-hoc test revealed that the results for EXPVF group were significantly better than the other two groups in all elements, while the EXP group showed significantly better results in three of the five elements compared with the CON group. In conclusion, students appeared to benefit more in their three-step ball throw technique through blended learning and direct video feedback.