Enhancing Long Jump Performance in Physical Education: A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Good Behaviour Game with Middle School Students

A Randomized Controlled Trial of the Good Behaviour Game with Middle School Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the effect of the Good Behaviour Game (GBG) on targeted motor performance metrics during long jump instruction.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 40 middle school students (age: 13.10±.40 years) were equally distributed between experimental and control-groups. The experimental group received the GBG intervention integrated into their regular physical education curriculum, while the control group participated in standard physical education sessions. Long jump performance was evaluated through jump distance and number of successful jumps.

Results: The experimental group showed significantly greater improvements in jump distance (males: 29.80%; females: 27.70%) compared to controls (males: 17.30%; females: 16.70%), with a significant Group × Time interaction (P<.001, η_p² = .46). For successful jumps, the GBG group achieved markedly greater improvements (males: +1.10 jumps; females: +1.40 jumps) versus controls (males: +.60; females: +.50), yielding large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > 1.90) for all comparisons. While females in the experimental group demonstrated a particularly pronounced improvement in successful jumps, no significant sex differences were observed in relative improvements for jump distance. The GBG significantly enhanced both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of long jump performance. Conclusions: These findings extend the established GBG literature beyond behavioural management applications into performance enhancement domains, demonstrating its utility as a powerful pedagogical tool for enhancing targeted motor skills in physical education.