The Effect of a Recreational Program on Cognitive Achievement and the Learning of Parry and Defensive Retreat Skills in Foil Fencing for Female Students

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of a recreational program on cognitive achievement and the learning of two defensive skills—parry and defensive retreat—in foil fencing among female students. The study also seeks to identify the differences between the experimental and control groups in both cognitive achievement and the learning of the targeted skills.

The research sample consisted of (40) first-year female students from Al-Mustaqbal University, divided equally into two groups: experimental and control (16 students each). Pre-tests were administered to assess cognitive achievement and the selected fencing skills. The experimental group was subjected to the recreational program as the independent variable, while the control group followed the traditional instructional method.

After the completion of the training period, post-tests were conducted, and data were analyzed statistically using appropriate methods. The results revealed that the recreational program had a positive and significant effect on developing cognitive achievement and enhancing the learning of parry and defensive retreat skills among the participants

The study recommends incorporating recreational programs as supportive instructional strategies in physical education lessons, due to their effectiveness in improving both cognitive and motor skills in fencing