The Impact of Team Composition on Student’s Sport Skill Development in Sport Education

Purpose : This study explores how diverse team compositions influence table tennis skill development in college students during a Sport Education (SE) season, considering gender and initial skill-level differences. Method : A quasiexperimental design included 64 college students, evenly split into control and experimental groups based on gender. Control group had heterogeneous teams, while experimental group had both heterogeneous and homogeneous teams. The 16-week SE season assessed backhand and forehand blocking skill improvement through two weekly sessions (45 min each). Results : Both groups exhibited skill development, with no significant gender differences. However, the experimental group demonstrated more comparable skill development across different skill levels compared with control group. Conclusion : The study underscores the positive impact of a design combining homogeneous and heterogeneous teams in SE on college students’ table tennis skill development. Educators are advised to consider context-specific factors, including sociocultural influences and sport skill complexity, when structuring team compositions within SE.