An Examination of the Effectiveness of Teaching Strategies Reapplied to Physical Education Classes in the Lower Grades to Enhance Physical Competence: The Case of Ball-throwing Task among Second Graders in Elementary School

This study aimed to examine the physical competence of second graders in elementary school in a ball-throwing task by reapplying teaching strategies that were introduced in the first grade. In the first grade, students learned to play tag, which was applied as a teaching strategy to enhance their physical competence. Physical competence comprises three factors: perceived physical competence, feelings of control, and peer and teacher acceptance. In addition to these factors, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical competence and tactical decision-making ability. A total of 82 second-grade students participated in this study. They were taught in which game situation to throw the ball. To evaluate their physical competence, we utilized the physical competence scale. The tactical decision-making ability when the ball was held during the game was analyzed in the following aspects: shooting, passing, and ball keeping (waiting until the area is clear). For each of the three factors of physical competence, the changes in tactical decision-making ability were analyzed by dividing the participants equally into upper and lower groups with high and low physical competence, respectively. The following findings were derived: