Exploratory Design and Evaluation of a Guided Discovery Instructional Methodology Against a Traditional Instructional Methodology in Padel Players on the Sports Initiation Stage

Abstract

The objective of the study was to design and assess the implementation of an exploratory teaching protocol based on aguided discovery instructional methodology (experimental group 1) versus the implementation of a traditional instructional methodology (experimental group 2) in padel players on the sports initiation stage. The study considered a total number of 15 sessions under analysis. A quasi-experimental study of two groups, with pretest and post-test measurements, wasperformed. The study compared the results before and after the teaching protocol was conducted through a test thatmeasured the effectiveness of the players in background and net situations. The final sample consisted of 45 players from several padel clubs in the city of Madrid. The average age was 8.62 years (SD = 2.06). The results showed that the players that were taught according to the guided discovery instructional strategy experienced a more significant improvement than those that were taught according to the traditional instructional strategy. The results are in line with publishedstudies in different sports that recommend the inclusion of guided discovery instructional strategies on the sports initiation stage.