The effect of educational games with and without balls applied to secondary school students on attention and motor skill development

This study was conducted with a total of 47 students (n = 47) from grades 5, 6, 7, and 8 attending a public middle school during the 2024–2025 academic year. The students' ages ranged between 10 and 14 years. Throughout the experimental process, students participated in both ball-based (with ball) and non-ball-based (without ball) educational game activities, and the effects of these activities on their attention levels and motor skill development were examined. A quasi-experimental design with a control group and repeated measures was employed. The experimental group received educational game-based activities for one hour during physical education lessons over an eight-week period, while the control group continued with the standard curriculum. Research data were collected using the Eurofit Test Battery (Flamingo Balance Test, Sit-Up Test, Standing Long Jump Test) and the D2 Attention Test. Data analyses were performed using SPSS 26.0. For intergroup comparisons, if the data showed normal distribution, the Independent Samples t-test was used; otherwise, the Mann–Whitney U test was applied. For intragroup analyses, the Paired Samples t-test was used for normally distributed data, while the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was used for non-normally distributed data (p < 0.05). According to the findings, both ball-based and non-ball-based educational games significantly improved balance skills. While the non-ball group showed significant improvement in sit-up test scores, the ball-based group did not demonstrate a statistically significant change in this area. In contrast, no significant difference was observed in the standing long jump test scores of the ball-based group, whereas a performance decline was detected in the non-ball group. Regarding attention, no significant improvement was found in the ball-based group, and a slight decrease in attention scores was observed in the non-ball group. However, overall analysis across all participants indicated an increase in attention scores. In conclusion, game-based physical activities have positive effects on children's motor skills and attention development. However, the magnitude and nature of these effects vary depending on the type of game, method of implementation, and the physical and cognitive content structure. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that educational games be systematically and purposefully integrated into physical education programs.