Flipped Classroom and Recreational activities:Effect on Dribbling, Passing and Shooting Skills in Male Football Students

Authors

  • Mustafa Jawad Kazem University of diyala (Iraq)
  • Furat Jabar Saadalla University of diyala (Iraq)
  • Ibtihal Ahmed Sallal University of diyala (Iraq)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.119733

Keywords:

flipping classroom, recreational activity, fun learning, football skill, dribbling, passing

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Football instruction in Iraqi secondary schools still relies on a command-style approach in which learning time is limited, learners remain passive, and skill acquisition is detached from the motivational context of play. This study examined the effectiveness of a programme integrating the flipped classroom with recreational activities on male secondary students' dribbling, passing and shooting skills, compared with traditional teaching.

Methodology: A quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test, two-group equivalent design was used. Forty male secondary students (16–17 years) from Diyala Education Directorate schools (2025/2026) were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 20), which received the flipped classroom with small-sided recreational games for eight weeks, and a control group (n = 20), which received conventional instruction. Dribbling speed, passing and shooting accuracy were measured with standardised field tests. Data were analysed in SPSS v.26 using paired and independent-samples t-tests, improvement rates and Cohen's d effect sizes at p < 0.05.

Results: Both groups improved significantly from pre- to post-test (p < 0.05), but the experimental group's post-test scores were significantly higher than the control group's across all three skills (p < 0.001), with large effect sizes for dribbling (d = 1.83), passing (d = 1.17) and shooting (d = 1.28). Improvement rates for the experimental group (shooting 41.58%, passing 29.60%, dribbling 12.33%) exceeded the control group's.

Conclusions: Combining flipped classroom instruction with recreational activities proved effective and is recommended as a low-cost, replicable model for Iraqi physical education directorates seeking to modernise football instruction within existing curricular time.

References

Abeysekera, L., & Dawson, P. (2015). Motivation and cognitive load in the flipped classroom: Definition, rationale and a call for research. Higher Education Research & Development, 34(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.934336

Bergmann, J., & Sams, A. (2012). Flip your classroom: Reach every student in every class every day. International Society for Technology in Education.

Camacho-Sánchez, R., Manzano-León, A., Rodríguez-Ferrer, J. M., Serna, J., & Lavega-Burgués, P. (2023). Game-based learning and gamification in physical education: A systematic review. Education Sciences, 13(2), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020183

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Darnis, F., & Lafont, L. (2021). Effects of verbal interactions between students on skill development, game performance, and game involvement in soccer learning. Éducation Physique & Sport / European Journal of Research in Physical Education and Sport, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4000/ejrieps.3222

Hameed, M. M., Dheyab, A. A., Rahman, A. K., & Abdali, R. Y. (2026). The effectiveness of a fun learning program on some basic skills and motor abilities for junior football players (11–12) years old. Retos, 80, 1188–1201. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v80.119443

Hill-Haas, S. V., Dawson, B., Impellizzeri, F. M., & Coutts, A. J. (2011). Physiology of small-sided games training in football: A systematic review. Sports Medicine, 41(3), 199–220. https://doi.org/10.2165/11539740-000000000-00000

Hinojo Lucena, F. J., López Belmonte, J., Fuentes Cabrera, A., Trujillo Torres, J. M., & Pozo Sánchez, S. (2018). Incidence of the flipped classroom in the physical education students' academic performance in university contexts. Sustainability, 10(5), 1334. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10051334

Hinojo Lucena, F. J., López Belmonte, J., Fuentes Cabrera, A., Trujillo Torres, J. M., & Pozo Sánchez, S. (2020). Academic effects of the use of flipped learning in physical education. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(1), 276. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17010276

Kadhim, M. J. (2022). Analytical study of the recreational activity plan at the Diyala Education Directorate, Iraq [Master's thesis]. Faculty of Physical Education for Girls, University of Alexandria.

Killian, C. M., Espinoza, S. M., Webster, C. A., Long, B., Urtel, M., Woods, A. M., & D'Agostino, E. M. (2022). Flipping the script: An initial exploration of flipped learning as an enhanced alternative to traditional physical education lessons. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 15188. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215188

Mao, X., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Cao, Y., Meng, D., & Li, W. (2022). The effects of football practice on children's fundamental movement skills: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 10, Article 1019150. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2022.1019150

Masrun, M., Okilanda, A., Khairuddin, K., Utama, J., & Putra, A. R. (2025). Learning of gross motor skills based on fun games: A study of coordination development in 5–6-year-old children. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 29(4), 233–242. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2025.0401

Pozo Sánchez, S., López Belmonte, J., Fuentes Cabrera, A., López Núñez, J. A., & Moreno Guerrero, A. J. (2020). Analysis of the motivational and emotional teaching competence in the framework of the flipped learning model. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1444. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01444

Renshaw, I., Chow, J. Y., Davids, K., & Hammond, J. (2015). Game-based approaches, pedagogical principles and tactical constraints: Examining games modification. In R. Pill (Ed.), Perspectives on athlete-centred coaching (pp. 21–36). Taylor & Francis.

Saber, A., Al-Tamimi, H., & Rashid, M. (2024). Impact of flipped classroom strategy on learning passing and stopping skills in futsal. Journal of Physical Education Research and Studies, 12(1), 44–59. (in Arabic)

Sulistiyono, Abduljabar, B., Budiningsih, C. A., Pangkahila, A., & Nurhasan. (2023). Development of authentic assessment instruments of football passing, dribbling, and shooting skills in physical education, sports, and health learning in senior high school. International Journal of Human Movement and Sports Sciences, 11(3), 612–624. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2023.110312

Downloads

Published

15-07-2026

Issue

Section

Didactic experiences developed and investigated with empirical work

How to Cite

Jawad Kazem, M., & Saadalla, . F. J. (2026). Flipped Classroom and Recreational activities:Effect on Dribbling, Passing and Shooting Skills in Male Football Students. Retos, 82, 675-684. https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v82.119733