Traditional Games Festival Enhances Fundamental Movement Skills in Elementary School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58524/x6sart34Keywords:
Elementary school, Fundamental movement skills, Physical education, Traditional games, Motor competenceAbstract
Fundamental movement skills (FMS) support children's motor competence and participation in physical activity, yet schools require structured approaches that provide repeated practice while remaining meaningful within the local context. This study evaluated whether a Traditional Games Festival improved immediate FMS outcomes in elementary school students compared with conventional physical education. A quantitative experimental pretest-posttest control-group design with matched-pairs random assignment involved 108 students in Grades IV-VI from six elementary schools in Bajawa District, Ngada Regency, Indonesia (experimental n = 54; control n = 54). The experimental group completed three weekly festival sessions of approximately 168 minutes each, with seven traditional games organized through station rotation, whereas the control group continued conventional physical education. FMS was assessed using a study-specific composite score for run, hop, horizontal jump, slide, catch, overhand throw, and underhand throw, with performance criteria referenced to the TGMD-3. ANCOVA adjusted posttest scores for baseline FMS. Experimental scores increased from 62.80 ± 5.46 to 84.69 ± 6.33, while control scores increased from 62.47 ± 4.74 to 64.32 ± 5.89. The adjusted group effect was significant, F(1,105) = 698.127, p < .001, partial η² = .869, with adjusted means of 84.54 and 64.47. The findings support a large immediate between-group difference within this sample. Because the outcome was study-specific, posttesting was immediate, inter-rater reliability was unavailable, and the study lacked formal ethics-committee approval and documented written parental consent, the magnitude and generalizability of the effect should be interpreted cautiously.
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