The effect of the Progressive Inquiry Model on creative thinking and the performance of the medium and long passing skills in football

Abstract

The aim of the research was to design educational situations by practically employing the components of the Progressive Inquiry Model in physical education lessons for football, targeting fifth-grade preparatory students. The study sought to identify the model’s effect on creative thinking and the performance of medium and long passing skills in football, the experimental method was adopted, using a design of two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The sample included 64 students, randomly selected at a rate of 38.788% from the total population of fifth-grade preparatory students at the Gifted Boys Secondary School, under the jurisdiction of the First Rusafa Directorate/2, for the academic year 2024–2025. After preparing both the test and the scale, the researcher designed instructional exercises that incorporated the elements of the Progressive Inquiry Model within educational situations during physical education lessons. These were based on the applied foundations of constructivist theories. The practical steps were applied to the experimental group, at a rate of one lesson per week according to their scheduled curriculum, over a period of eight consecutive weeks; the instructional content consisted of exercises based on the components of the Progressive Inquiry Model, with four instructional exercises per practical lesson. Each skill (medium and long passing) was allotted four practical lessons, with each exercise lasting six minutes, at the conclusion of the experimental phase; the results were analyzed using the SPSS program. The findings indicated that employing instructional exercises based on the Progressive Inquiry Model in practical football lessons was appropriate for fifth-grade preparatory students. The application of such exercises contributed to improving the level of creative thinking and enhancing the performance of both medium and long passing skills in football among the students who received this method, outperforming their peers who were taught without it. The researcher recommended the importance of considering mental, particularly creative, measurements for each student during practical lessons to support the performance of medium and long passing skills in football. Moreover, it is essential not to overemphasize the role of cognitive structure but instead to focus on practice and repetition to improve these skills through the effective use of the Progressive Inquiry Model in designing motor programs for skill performance in physical education