Effects of Game-based Physical Education Program on Enjoyment in Children and Adolescents : A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this research was to use a systematic review methodology in order to investigate the impact of a game-based physical education intervention on the enjoyment experienced by children and adolescents.Additionally, a meta-analysis is adopted to identify the factors for enjoyment promotion during their participation in physical education games. Methods:This study involves a comprehensive search of different databases like Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, EBSCOhost, Cochrane, and Scopus. Specific criteria are established for the selection process to make sure the relevant literature included. The quality assessment of the included researches is conducted based on the guidelines outlined in the Cochrane 5.1 handbook. Review Manager 5.3 software is employed to synthesis the effect sizes. Additionally, bias is assessed using funnel plots, and to identify potential sources of heterogeneity， subgroup analyses are performed. Results: A total of 1,907 academic papers, out of which 2 articles were identified via other data sources. The present study examined the impact of a pedagogical intervention involving physical education games on the enjoyment experienced by children and adolescents. The results indicated a significant positive effect (MD=0.53, 95%CI:[0.27,0.79], P<0.05) of this intervention on enjoyment. Subgroup analyses further revealed that both boys (MD=0.31, 95%CI:[0.13,0.50], P<0.05) and girls (MD=0.28, 95%CI:[0.05,0.51], P<0.05) experienced increased pleasure compared to traditional physical education. Additionally, children under 12 years of age (MD=0.41, 95%CI:[0.17,0.64], P<0.05) benefited from sessions lasting at least 30 minutes or more per session (MD=0.40, 95%CI:[0.19,0.60], P<0.05), occurring 1 to 3 times per week (MD=0.28, 95%CI:[0.16,0.40], P<0.05), and lasting for more than 3 weeks (MD=0.81, 95%CI:[0.29,1.34], P<0.05). These findings suggest that the implementation of physical education games can be an effective approach to teaching this subject. Conclusions: 1) Interventions using physical games have been shown to yield beneficial outcomes in terms of enhancing the enjoyment experienced by children and adolescents. 2) The effectiveness of treatments aimed at promoting enjoyment among children and adolescents is influenced by several aspects, including gender, age, duration and frequency of physical activity, as well as the specific cycle of activity used.