The effect of recreational activities to reducing fatigue index and improving motor perseverance in physical fitness class for female students

Abstract

The aim of the research was to prepare a scale of motor perseverance for female students, as well as to identify the effect of recreational activities in reducing the fatigue index and improving motor perseverance in the physical fitness lesson for female students. The researcher followed the experimental method by designing two equivalent groups with pre- and post-tests. The research sample consisted of third-year female students in the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences - University of Baghdad, with a number of (32) female students who were divided equally into two groups, a control and an experimental group, after conducting the homogeneity and equivalence processes based on the results of the pre-tests. Recreational activities were applied to the experimental group at a rate of (2) per week for a period of (5) weeks and for a time period of (35) minutes out of the total time of the educational unit of (90) minutes. The post-tests were conducted and then the results were extracted and processed using appropriate statistical methods. Through this, the researcher came out with several conclusions, including: that the use and introduction of recreational activities during the physical fitness lesson played a major role in reducing the fatigue index and improving motor perseverance among the students in the experimental group. In addition, the experimental group had a significant and clear superiority over the control group in reducing the fatigue index and improving motor perseverance. Based on this, the researcher made several recommendations, including emphasizing the use and inclusion of recreational activities in physical education and sports science lessons, especially physical fitness. In addition to the necessity of employing recreational activities in a way that contributes to raising the level of physical fitness, away from traditional and stereotypical physical exercises.