Abstract
Background: In situations with physical limitations, combining online and in-person methods with a greater focus on practical exercises, feedback, and maintaining motivation and commitment to learning may be the best approach. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of two educational methods— in-person training and online training— on learning jump rope skills. Methods: Forty fourth-grade girl students were randomly assigned to two groups: In-person training and online training. Initially, participants took a pre-test that involved performing the basic single jump technique (BSJT) for 30 seconds. The online class was conducted on Iran's official educational platform, a messaging service that allows for the transmission of audio, video, and text files, as well as live calls. The in-person group received all instructions with the same content in person. Immediately after completing eight 45-minute instructional sessions, a post-test similar to the pre-test was administered. One week after the acquisition sessions, a retention test for 10 other jump rope techniques was conducted within a 30-second time frame, and the average score was calculated for each participant. Results: The results showed a significant main effect of the group, with the overall performance of the in-person group being better than that of the online group. Participants' scores in BSJT improved from the pre-test to the post-test. A significant difference was observed between the in-person and online groups in the retention test. Conclusions: In-person training appears to be generally more effective than online training for improving jump rope skills. While online training can be effective for mastering and consolidating previously learned skills, in-person training is preferable for learning and mastering more complex techniques.