The Effectiveness of Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) Approach on Tactical Decision-Making, Technical Skills, and Learning Engagement Among Physical Education Students in Table Tennis Courses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31004/anthor.v5i5.1408Keywords:
Teaching Games for Understanding, Table Tennis Learning, Tactical Decision-Making, Physical Education StudentsAbstract
Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) has emerged as an innovative pedagogical approach that emphasizes tactical awareness, decision-making, and meaningful game experiences rather than isolated technical practices. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the TGfU approach on tactical decision-making, technical skills, and learning engagement among physical education students enrolled in table tennis courses. A quasi-experimental research design with a pre-test and post-test control group was employed. Sixty undergraduate physical education students were selected and divided into an experimental group (n = 30) receiving TGfU-based instruction and a control group (n = 30) receiving conventional technique-oriented instruction. The intervention was conducted over eight weeks consisting of 16 learning sessions. Data were collected using tactical decision-making assessment, table tennis skill performance tests, and learning engagement questionnaires. The data were analyzed using mixed MANOVA and ANCOVA procedures. The findings indicated that students in the TGfU group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in tactical decision-making, technical skills, and learning engagement compared with the control group. These findings suggest that TGfU provides a comprehensive learning framework by integrating cognitive understanding, motor skill development, and active student participation. The study contributes to sport pedagogy literature by extending the application of TGfU to table tennis learning within physical education teacher education contexts.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lukmanul Hakim, Ira Arini, Ahmad Firmansah, Andrian Rahman Ayudi, Ridwan Sudirman
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