Effect of ball-launcher-assisted sport education on table tennis game performance in junior high school students

Abstract

This study examined the effect of a Sport Education model supported by a ball launcher on table tennis game performance among Grade VII students in Cimahi, Indonesia. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design involved 60 students (approximately 12–13 years; boys and girls) selected from an accessible population of 80 students at SMPN 13 Cimahi. Thirty students received a 16-session Sport Education season integrating persistent teams, student roles, formal competition, record keeping, a culminating event, and progressively variable ball-launcher practice; 30 students received conventional teacher-directed instruction of equivalent duration. Game performance was assessed using a table-tennis adaptation of the Game Performance Assessment Instrument, comprising decision making, skill execution, and base/recovery behavior. Posttest performance was analysed by ANCOVA with pretest performance as a covariate; assumptions, 95% confidence intervals, and partial eta squared were reported. In the illustrative simulated dataset, the intervention group achieved a higher adjusted posttest score than the control group (adjusted mean difference = 8.48 points, 95% CI [5.30, 11.66], F(1,57) = 28.52, p < .001, partial eta squared = .333). Secondary component analyses showed the same direction for decision making, skill execution, and base/recovery. The integrated approach may improve game performance by combining meaningful team-based participation with high-frequency, progressively variable practice.