A pilot study on the effects of volleyball specialised Physical Education on cardiovascular endurance in female middle school students

The last few years have seen widespread concern regarding declining physical fitness in adolescents and cardiovascular endurance as an essential component of overall physical fitness. This research examined the effect of volleyball-specific Physical Education (SPE) on cardiovascular endurance in female middle school adolescents. Methodology: This research utilised a cluster randomised controlled trial (CRCT) approach. A cluster of 10 secondary school girls aged 13-15 years were given participation in the pre-test (baseline) and post-test measurements. The volleyball-SPE intervention was for two weeks. Cardiovascular endurance was evaluated before (baseline) and after the intervention, using spirometry and an 800m run as the primary assessment tools. Participants were randomly allocated to either the experimental group (EG) volleyball-SPE or the control group (CG) standard physical education (STPE). Data were analysed using a generalised estimating equations (GEE) model to assess changes in cardiovascular endurance within and between the groups over time. The results of the GEE analysis indicated that the interaction effects between time and group were not statistically significant for either spirometry (χ² = 0.123, p = 0.726) or the 800m run (χ² = 0.086, p = 0.770). However, the main effects of time were statistically significant for both spirometry (χ² = 78.554, p < .001) and the 800m run (χ² = 6.494, p = 0.011), suggesting an overall improvement in cardiovascular endurance following the intervention. Although the EG improved after the intervention, the change trend was not significantly different from the CG's.  These results imply that while a brief volleyball-SPE intervention may yield specific enhancements in physical fitness, obtaining statistically meaningful differences between experimental and control groups may necessitate refinements in the length of the intervention and the intensity of the training. Despite the limitations, this current research offers initial empirically based information on the viability of incorporating brief volleyball-SPE lessons in middle schools with limited instructional time. Additionally, the outcome provides a theoretical rationale for developing systematic physical education programs to build cardiovascular endurance in middle school students.

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