The Effect of the Rapid Learning Strategy on Attentional Control and the Performance of the Skills of Receiving and Shooting from Head Level in Handball

Abstract

The aim of the research was to develop a measure of attentional control in handball for second-year students in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, and to design instructional exercises and employ them using the components of the rapid learning strategy in practical physical education lessons for handball. The research also sought to identify the effect of the rapid learning strategy on attentional control and on the performance of the skills of receiving and shooting from head level in handball among second-year students in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, the experimental method was adopted using a design involving both an experimental group and a control group, with a sample of 66 students randomly selected (67.374) from the population of second-year students in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the College of Education, Al-Farahidi University, for the academic year 2024/2025. A mental scale was constructed, and practical handball lessons were prepared and applied using the investigated strategy in the experimental group over a period of four weeks, with two lessons per week. Each skill was covered in four lessons. After the completion of the experiment, data were processed using the SPSS program. The conclusions indicated that the attentional control scale in handball is suitable for second-year students in the Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the College of Education, Al-Farahidi University, and meets the scientific criteria for academic acceptance. Teaching using the rapid learning strategy was found to contribute to improving attentional control in handball, as well as enhancing the performance of the skills of receiving and shooting from head level in handball among second-year students. These improvements were significantly better than those seen in their peers who were taught without the strategy. The main recommendations emphasized that the rapid learning strategy should not be implemented rigidly in a way that limits the students’ engagement and freedom during the instruction of handball skills in practical lessons. It is also essential to train handball instructors on how to effectively utilize the elements of the rapid learning strategy in the educational settings of practical lessons.