The Effects of Direct Teaching Styles on Motor Skill Acquisition of Fifth Grade Children

Abstract

Abstract This study tested the effects of three of Mosston's teaching styles, Styles B, C, and E, on the motor skill acquisition of fifth grade children. Males (n = 162) and females (n = 166) from two elementary schools, one serving a low socio-economic status community and the other a high socio-economic community, were assigned to one of the three treatment groups or a control group. These children were taught a hockey accuracy task and were tested prior to, midway through, and following training under laboratory-like conditions. Ex post facto aptitude groups were formed on the basis of entry performance. A four-way ANCOVA revealed that all three treatment groups improved significantly over the course of training (p < .01). A significant treatment-times-aptitude interaction (p < .01) revealed that average aptitude children responded best to the conditions provided by Style B, whereas exceptional children, the combination of children with above and below average aptitude, profited more from the conditions provided by Style E.