Analogy motor learning by young children: a study of rope skipping.
Research in psychology suggests that provision of an instruction by analogy can enhance acquisition and understanding of knowledge. Limited research has been conducted to test this proposition in motor learning by children. The purpose of the present study was to examine the feasibility of analogy instructions in motor skill acquisition by children. Thirty-two children were randomly assigned to one of the two instruction protocols: analogy and explicit instruction protocols for a two-week rope skipping training. Each participant completed a pretest (Lesson 1), three practice sessions (Lesson 2-4), a posttest and a secondary task test (Lesson 5). Children in the analogy protocol displayed better rope skip performance than those in the explicit instruction protocol (p < .001). Moreover, a cognitive secondary task test indicated that children in the analogy protocol performed more effectively, whereas children in the explicit protocol displayed decrements in performance. Analogy learning may aid children to acquire complex motor skills, and have potential benefits related to reduced cognitive processing requirements.
a Department of Health and Physical Education , The Education University of Hong Kong , Tai Po , People's Republic of China.
Andy C Y
AC
Tse
b School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , People's Republic of China.
Shirley S M
SS
Fong
b School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong , Pokfulam , People's Republic of China.
Thomson W L
TW
Wong
c School of Human Development and Movement Studies, The University of Waikato , Hamilton , New Zealand.
Rich
R
Masters
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education / Q000379:methods*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*
Children; coaching; exercise; motor control