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Basketball Workshop and Development of Motor Coordination and Problem-Solving Skills in Lower Secondary School Pupils: A Qualitative and Quantitative Experimental Study

Gianluca Gravino, Emma Saraiello, Giovanna Scala

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a 10-week basketball workshop designed according to ecological-dynamic and problem-based principles on the motor coordination and problem- solving skills of lower secondary school students with MABC-2 scores of ?25^(th) percentile. Sixty students (aged 11–13) were randomly assigned to either the basketball group (BG, n = 30) or the control group (CTRL, n = 30). The BG protocol included 30 60-minute sessions comprising cognitive-motor warm-ups, variable skill exercises, constraint-guided tactical tasks, and metacognitive reflection. The CTRL group followed traditional physical education lessons with an equivalent motor load. Pre- and post-test measures: Movement Assessment Battery for Children-2 (MABC-2), Tower of London-DX (ToL-DX) and Game Performance Assessment Instrument (GPAI-Basket). Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis explored the students' experiences. Mixed ANOVA showed a significant group × time interaction. The GC group improved their overall MABC-2 score by 13.2 centiles (d = 1.86), reduced their excess moves on the ToL-DX by 3.2 (d = 1.34) and increased their correct tactical decisions on the GPAI by 72%. The CTRL group showed minimal gains. Qualitative analysis highlighted three themes: strategic awareness, embodied problem solving and adaptive confidence. The basketball workshop produced substantial, clinically relevant improvements in motor coordination and problem solving. This supports the integration of open-skill sports involving high cognitive load into the school curriculum to promote the integrated motor- cognitive development of adolescents.

Keywords

ecological dynamics; executive functions; embodied cognition; laboratory

References

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