This study aimed to examine the physical competence of second graders in elementary school in a ball-throwing task by reapplying teaching strategies that were introduced in the first grade. In the first grade, students learned to play tag, which was applied as a teaching strategy to enhance their physical competence. Physical competence comprises three factors: perceived physical competence, feelings of control, and peer and teacher acceptance. In addition to these factors, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between physical competence and tactical decision-making ability. A total of 82 second-grade students participated in this study. They were taught in which game situation to throw the ball. To evaluate their physical competence, we utilized the physical competence scale. The tactical decision-making ability when the ball was held during the game was analyzed in the following aspects: shooting, passing, and ball keeping (waiting until the area is clear). For each of the three factors of physical competence, the changes in tactical decision-making ability were analyzed by dividing the participants equally into upper and lower groups with high and low physical competence, respectively. The following findings were derived:
(1) Compared to the scores in a previous study, the physical competence scores before the ball-throwing task in the current study had higher scores in the upper and lower groups.
(2) The upper group maintained a high physical competence before and after the ball-throwing task while the lower group showed improvement after the task.
(3) The decision-making ability during the task improved in the upper and lower groups.
(4) The improvement in perceived physical competence in the lower groups was associated with their improved decision-making ability.
(5) A positive relationship was found between the upper and lower groups in terms of peer and teacher acceptance and ball keeping.
Our study revealed improvements in the physical competence of the second graders after reapplying teaching strategies to a ball-throwing task. These improvements in physical competence were found to be related to the enhancement of decision-making ability. Moreover, peer and teacher acceptance was improved, thus allowing the students to “wait until the area was clear.”
