A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial To Compare Online And In-person Motor Skill Acquisition

The acquisition of motor skills is crucial for human development, both fine and gross motor skills contributing to skills needed in sports and exercise. Given the fundamental connection between motor skills acquisition and human performance, instruction and training of these skills are of paramount importance. Although the traditional approach to teaching motor skills has been in-person, there are benefits, e.g., flexibility, access, and cost-effectiveness, to teaching motor skills online. Despite these potential benefits, there is a lack of robust evidence about the effectiveness of online delivery methods in teaching new motor skills. PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of online and in-person motor skill delivery. METHODS: The cluster randomized controlled trial with a sample of 71 (Mage = 20.49 ± 1.78; M = 19 and F = 52) participants without pre-existing juggling skills were allocated to: 1) asynchronous (N = 25), 2) synchronous (N = 25), and 3) in-person (N = 21) groups for six 50-min juggling classes. All the learning contents were identical, with different delivery modalities. Participants’ traditional 3-ball juggling abilities were assessed with pre-, post-, and 2-week follow-up retention tests. RESULTS: The analysis of covariance showed a statistically significant between-group effect on the juggling performance [F (2, 67) = 3.58, p = 0.033, η2 = .10], favoring in-person group (estimated marginal means) [EMM] = 17.26 ± 3.67 over synchronous (EMM = 6.10 ± 3.42) or asynchronous (EMM = 5.12 ± 3.41). The simple contrast results showed differences between in-person and online deliveries but no differences between the two online groups [F (1, 47) = .09, p = 0.768]. All three groups also had no statistically significant differences in juggling retention [F (2, 67) = 0.59, p = 0.558]. CONCLUSION: Despite the findings showing superior performance and learning when acquiring new motor skills in-person, most participants in synchronous and asynchronous groups learned the new skill. In addition, learners’ skill retention was similar despite their different learning modalities. Additionally, considering the unique strengths of online delivery, e.g., flexibility and convenience, teaching motor skills online can benefit various populations that require skill development and training.