The Effect of Brain-Based Physical Education Instruction on Physical Literacy in Upper Primary School Students

Abstract

This research article aimed to: 1) examine the effects of brain-based physical education instruction on physical literacy, 2) compare physical literacy before and after the implementation of brain-based physical education instruction, and 3) compare post-intervention physical literacy between an experimental group and a control group. The sample consisted of 46 Grade 4 students from Chumchon Phu-Ruea School. The sample size was determined using G*Power software with an effect size of 0.5. The experimental tools included two instructional plans: one based on brain-based physical education instruction and the other following traditional five-step physical education instruction. The data collection instrument was a physical literacy assessment covering four components: (1) knowledge and understanding, (2) motivation and confidence, (3) physical competence, and (4) engagement in physical activity for life. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, paired sample t-test, and independent sample t-test. The research findings revealed that: 1) Most students in the experimental group demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge and understanding (43.48%), high levels of motivation and confidence (56.52%), high physical competence (100%), and high engagement in physical activity (91.30%), while sedentary behavior was low (78.30%). 2) Physical literacy scores of students in the experimental group after the intervention were significantly higher than before the intervention at the .05 level. 3) Post-test results showed that students in the experimental group scored significantly higher than those in the control group in several components of physical literacy at the .05 level, except for engagement in physical activity for life, which was not different in the sedentary behavior issue.