The impact of participatory and cooperative learning strategies on improving students' forehand and backhand tennis skills

Abstract

This research aims to develop educational units based on participatory and cooperative learning to improve forehand and backhand stroke skills. It also seeks to determine the impact of these two learning strategies on pre-test results in improving students' forehand and backhand stroke skills, identify differences between post-test results, and assess the effectiveness of the strategies used by the research groups in improving students' forehand and backhand stroke skills. The research methodology employed an experimental approach. The study participants were second-year students from the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at Al Ain University during the 2024-2025 academic year. The total number of students was 85, distributed across three sections (A, B, and C). A random sample of 36 students was selected. Twelve students were assigned to the participatory learning strategy, twelve to the cooperative learning strategy, and twelve to the teacher's standard teaching method. The most significant finding is that the participatory and cooperative learning strategies used by the teacher had a positive impact on students' learning of some forehand and backhand stroke skills in tennis. The first experimental group, which studied according to the participatory learning strategy, improved the forehand and backhand tennis skills of the students, while the recommendations include the necessity for the physical education teacher to be familiar with more than one teaching strategy and to use the best strategy for the appropriate educational situation.