Virtual reality experience in physical education and sports lessons: An investigation into its effect on the balance and coordination skills of middle school students.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of playing a virtual reality (VR) game on the balance and coordination skills of students. A total of 39 7th-grade students volunteered to participate in the study; 20 were in the experimental group and 19 were in the control group. The study used an experimental design in which participants played games with virtual reality headsets for eight weeks. The Y Balance Test and the Children's Body Coordination Test (Körperkoordinationstest für Kinder - KTK) were used to assess balance and coordination skills before and after the intervention. The KTK is a coordination test comprising four subtests: Backward Balancing, Single-Leg Hopping, Side-To-Side Hopping, and Side-To-Side Walking on a Platform. The data were analysed using Jamovi (version 2.3.21.0) statistical software. The results of the mixed-design analysis of variance revealed significant group × time interactions in favour of the experimental group for Backward Balancing, Lateral Jumping, Platform Transport, the total KTK score and right and left Y-balance performance. However, there was no significant difference in single-leg jumping performance (p < .05). These results suggest that virtual reality-based applications could improve balance and coordination in secondary school students. Experiencing the VR game was found to significantly improve students' balance and coordination skills. It is recommended that virtual reality-based applications be used as a supplementary teaching tool in physical education and sports lessons to support the development of motor skills.