The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.

The contextual interference (CI) approach has proposed that a random order of practice for motor skills is superior in facilitating learning compared to a blocked arrangement of practice trials. Two groups of physical education students learned sprint hurdles, employing either an increasing CI pract...

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Main Authors: Hubert Makaruk, Beata Makaruk, Marcin Starzak, Kazimierz Chmielewski, Jared M Porter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289916&type=printable
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author Hubert Makaruk
Beata Makaruk
Marcin Starzak
Kazimierz Chmielewski
Jared M Porter
author_facet Hubert Makaruk
Beata Makaruk
Marcin Starzak
Kazimierz Chmielewski
Jared M Porter
author_sort Hubert Makaruk
collection DOAJ
description The contextual interference (CI) approach has proposed that a random order of practice for motor skills is superior in facilitating learning compared to a blocked arrangement of practice trials. Two groups of physical education students learned sprint hurdles, employing either an increasing CI practice schedule (n = 23) or a blocked practice schedule (n = 23). In both the practice schedules, the same exercises were used in a different trial order during each learning session. Eleven practice sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks, with two days of practice per week. Ten and 40 days after the acquisition phase, a retention and transfer test were conducted. The results showed no differences between the two practice schedules during the retention tests. However, students practicing with an increasing CI arrangement performed better on the delayed transfer test compared to students which practiced with a blocked schedule. Specifically, the increasing CI group more effectively (p < 0.05) cleared the hurdles due to a lower take-off step angle and longer step length than the blocked practice group. Although utilizing an increase in CI during the learning phase of sprint hurdling produced more persistent learning effects relative to a traditional blocked practice schedule for adult novice learners, further research is warranted to explore the CI effect across a broader range of sport skills.
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spelling doaj.art-a64cd56ed321411a8281d4a4f3a130022024-01-15T05:31:25ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01191e028991610.1371/journal.pone.0289916The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.Hubert MakarukBeata MakarukMarcin StarzakKazimierz ChmielewskiJared M PorterThe contextual interference (CI) approach has proposed that a random order of practice for motor skills is superior in facilitating learning compared to a blocked arrangement of practice trials. Two groups of physical education students learned sprint hurdles, employing either an increasing CI practice schedule (n = 23) or a blocked practice schedule (n = 23). In both the practice schedules, the same exercises were used in a different trial order during each learning session. Eleven practice sessions were conducted over a period of six weeks, with two days of practice per week. Ten and 40 days after the acquisition phase, a retention and transfer test were conducted. The results showed no differences between the two practice schedules during the retention tests. However, students practicing with an increasing CI arrangement performed better on the delayed transfer test compared to students which practiced with a blocked schedule. Specifically, the increasing CI group more effectively (p < 0.05) cleared the hurdles due to a lower take-off step angle and longer step length than the blocked practice group. Although utilizing an increase in CI during the learning phase of sprint hurdling produced more persistent learning effects relative to a traditional blocked practice schedule for adult novice learners, further research is warranted to explore the CI effect across a broader range of sport skills.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289916&type=printable
spellingShingle Hubert Makaruk
Beata Makaruk
Marcin Starzak
Kazimierz Chmielewski
Jared M Porter
The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
PLoS ONE
title The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
title_full The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
title_fullStr The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
title_full_unstemmed The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
title_short The learning of sprint hurdles: A comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules.
title_sort learning of sprint hurdles a comparative study on increasing contextual interference and blocked practice schedules
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0289916&type=printable
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