Changes in Badminton Game Play across Developmental Skill Levels among High School Students

The study examined changes in badminton game play across developmental skill levels among high school students in a physical education setting. Videotapes of badminton game play of 80 students (40 boys and 40 girls) in the four developmental skill levels (each skill level had 10 boys and 10 girls) were randomly selected from a database associated with the South Carolina Physical Education Assessment Program. An observational instrument was developed to code and compare components or categories of badminton skill and tactics used among participants across the four developmental skill levels. Descriptive statistics (mean, SD, and percentage) of occurrence in skill/tactic components and subcomponents were calculated for each skill level and compared among the four skill levels. The results revealed clear stages or changes in student badminton performance across different developmental skill levels. The results also indicated that, while students’ performance progress were observed when the skill level became higher, students used a large portion of immature serves and strokes across all the skill levels, and the rates of using standard serves and strokes, forceful stroke, and return to home base were low. Performing immature forms of sports skill may be a widely existing but ignored phenomenon in the physical education setting and needs more investigation.