Background/Purpose This study examined the effectiveness of giving grade school students performance analysis advice which they could then apply to their performance in simple structured environments with immediate feedback. This feedback was provided by an inexpensive Xavix exergaming system and a radar gun. Exergaming is a relatively new technology which combines whole body movement and video gaming. Quantitative measurements were recorded of students' throwing speed and number of steps taken in a10 second run.
Method Students completed four trials in each activity. A single trial in the throwing activity consisted of throwing a ball as hard as possible with both the dominant and non-dominant hand, while a trial on the Xavix machine required students to take as many steps as possible on an electronic floor pad in ten seconds. Coaching was provided to the students after the second and third trials with regards to how they could improve their performance.
Analysis/Results Analysis of the preliminary results showed that mean scores increased from trial to trial in both the high intensity running and the throwing tasks. Participants were further divided by ability level and results showed a difference between high performers and other students on response to feedback.
Conclusions Using simple exergaming programs and other tools such as radar guns as a measurement and feedback system together with brief, targeted performance feedback can impact on student attitude and performance. Such approaches provide physical education teachers with simple but effective tools for measuring performance and teaching the concept of performance analysis.