The Impact of the Conceptual Imagery Intervention Model on Sports Knowledge and the Development of Basic Basketball Skills
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to determine the impact of the conceptual imagery intervention model on the development of sports knowledge and achievement of the level of performance of the selected basic basketball skills in the first-year female students. The researcher adopted experimental pre-test/post-test design and two equal groups. The study sample was 40 female students randomly divided to form an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The experimental group learned under instructional units that were modeled based on the conceptual imagery intervention model, but the control group learned under the traditional teaching method. The protocols involved the pre-tests of sports knowledge and three fundamental basketball skills that comprised passing, dribbling, and layup shooting, and an eight-week educational program involving 16 instructional units, each of which took 90 minutes. Tests were then done again later on the same instruments and at similar conditions.
The intervention was used using three stages, which were integrated, namely pre-imagery performance, imagery performance, and post-imagery reflection. The researcher employed a cognitive achievement test and standardized skill tests, and the SPSS analysed data using means, standard deviations, standard errors, paired-samples t-tests, independent-samples t-tests, and chi-square tests of expert agreement. The findings indicated a statistically significant difference between pre-tests and post-tests in the two groups towards the latter. Nevertheless, it improved more in the experimental group. The comparisons of the post tests also revealed a significant superiority of experimental group over the control group in all the variables of the research. The research arrived at the conclusion that the conceptual imagery intervention model is an effective teaching strategy to build sports knowledge and enhance basic basketball skills as it incorporates cognitive processing, mental representation, guided attention, and athletic performance.
