Using multimodal learning analytics as a formative assessment tool in AI-assisted physical education: a case study of Baduanjin teaching

Introduction Traditional formative assessment in physical education (PE) often lacks objectivity and fails to capture the intricate multimodal dynamics of instructional behaviors. This study validates a Multimodal Learning Analytics (MMLA) framework to decode teaching effectiveness in a peer-coaching context using the traditional Chinese exercise, Baduanjin. Methods We analyzed synchronous data from 20 instructional dyads ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <mml:mi>N</mml:mi> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>20</mml:mn> </mml:math> ), combining kinematic pose estimation (MediaPipe), speech fluency metrics (Whisper), and facial emotion recognition (OpenFace). Results Results from Spearman correlations and Mann-Whitney U tests revealed a “Precision-Economy” instructional archetype: high-performing instructors were characterized by superior kinematic fidelity ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M2"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>.52</mml:mn> </mml:math> ) and verbal economy ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M3"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mn>.47</mml:mn> </mml:math> ), rather than sheer feedback volume or emotional intensity. Counter-intuitively, excessive corrective feedback negatively correlated with learner skill gains ( <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M4"> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>r</mml:mi> <mml:mi>s</mml:mi> </mml:msub> <mml:mo>=</mml:mo> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>.41</mml:mn> </mml:math> ), suggesting a cognitive load interference effect. Discussion These findings challenge the “more-is-better” pedagogical assumption and demonstrate that AI-driven analytics can objectively quantify the tacit mechanisms of embodied instruction, offering a scalable tool for teacher training and developing countries seeking to modernize PE assessment, while acknowledging the necessity for further validation in open-skill sports contexts.