INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING IN SKILL ACQUISITION AMONG LAGUNA INTER-SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (LISAA) BASKETBALL PLAYERS

The study reveals the effects of observational learning (OL) on skill acquisition among basketball players of the Laguna Inter-School Athletic Association (LISAA). The research explored assisting, shooting, and rebounding as primary skills in Basketball and how players can improve their performances using OL strategies. The results indicate that OL has a significant relationship with improvement in game functioning, with moderate to solid correlations for all three skills. Participants also agreed that OL was an avenue for developmental skills, emotional regulation, and execution assessment. OL was crucial in improving shooting technique, court awareness during assists, and rebounding. It corresponded with Bandura's social learning theory, which suggests that learning is achieved by observing and imitating the acts of others. The study concludes that implementing OL within the training sessions can highly accelerate the skill acquisition rate, performance improvement, and other facets of player development within Basketball. The use of the observational learning technique needs to be promoted in the practice methods of coaches and educators to instill mastery under pressure. KEYWORDS: Observational Learning, Basketball Skills, Skills Acquisition