Changes in forward roll skill following project-based learning and the role of movement creativity among junior high school students
Abstract
Background: Learning the forward roll in junior high school physical education is often challenged by limited technical proficiency, restricted movement exploration, and the continued use of teacher-centered instructional approaches.
Objective: This study aimed to examine changes in forward-roll performance following the implementation of Project-Based Learning (PjBL) and to investigate the relationship between movement creativity and forward-roll skill outcomes among junior high school students.
Methods: A pre-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was employed involving 32 eighth-grade students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire assessing students’ perceptions of PjBL implementation, a movement creativity performance rubric, and a forward-roll performance rubric. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, a paired-samples t-test, normalized gain (N-Gain), simple linear regression, and multiple linear regression.
Results: The mean forward-roll score increased from 55.19 at pretest to 88.25 at posttest, with an N-Gain of 0.74. The pretest–posttest difference was statistically significant, t(31) = 18.542, p < 0.001. Movement creativity was also strongly associated with forward-roll performance, with R² = 0.982, while the regression model including perceived PjBL implementation and movement creativity showed a significant simultaneous association with skill outcomes.
Conclusion: These findings indicate that PjBL implementation was accompanied by improved forward-roll performance and that movement creativity was closely associated with students’ skill achievement. Future studies should employ control groups and larger samples to provide stronger evidence regarding causal effects.
Keywords:
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Mutakien, I. , Amalia, E. F. , & Rochman, T. (2026). Changes in forward roll skill following project-based learning and the role of movement creativity among junior high school students. Physical Education Learning, Teaching, and Assessment, 1(1), 35-44. https://ejournals.pjki.or.id/index.php/pelta/article/view/15
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