Author(s): LIN, C., PAN, M., HSU, W.T., Institution: NATIONAL DONG HWA UNIVERSITY, Country: TAIWAN, Abstract-ID: 325

Improving student engagement and learning quality in secondary physical education (PE) remains a persistent challenge, particularly in skill-based individual sports such as table tennis. In response, hybrid pedagogical designs that integrate game-based approaches with digital learning environments have been increasingly advocated. However, empirical research exploring students’ lived experiences of such hybrid models in authentic school contexts remains limited. This pilot study explored high school girls’ perceptions of a Blended Learning–Step Game Approach (BL–SGA) compared with a Step-Game Approach (SGA) alone during a 10-week table tennis unit.

Participants were 65 twelfth-grade girls from a public girls’ high school in eastern Taiwan, assigned to either a BL–SGA group (n = 33) or an SGA group (n = 32) through intact class allocation. Both groups followed a Step-Game curriculum featuring progressive modified games, role rotation, and formal competition phases. The BL–SGA group additionally engaged in a flipped-classroom design, including short online video modules, formative quizzes, and guided pre-class preparation. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was adopted to capture students’ experiences through written reflections, instructor diaries, and semi-structured focus group interviews conducted across key instructional phases.

Thematic analysis revealed four interrelated experiential dimensions: learning motivation, enjoyment and engagement, social interaction, and perceived skill development. Students in both groups reported heightened motivation and enjoyment during structured game challenges and competition phases, particularly when role-based participation fostered purpose and peer accountability. BL–SGA participants highlighted the value of self-paced video learning in supporting preparation, confidence, and tactical understanding, while SGA participants emphasized in-class social interaction as a primary motivational source. Across both groups, perceived skill development was closely linked to opportunities for repeated practice and contextualized gameplay. However, students also reported diminished motivation, enjoyment, and social engagement during a short-term transition to fully online instruction, underscoring the importance of embodied interaction in PE.

These findings suggest that integrating blended learning into a game-based pedagogical framework is feasible and meaningful from students’ perspectives, provided that digital components complement rather than replace in-person, socially interactive learning. As a pilot study, this research offers exploratory insights into the pedagogical affordances and constraints of hybrid instruction in girls’ secondary PE and informs the design of future large-scale and mixed-method investigations.