This study aimed at assessing the impact of video modeling examples (VMEs) on secondary school students’ self-regulated learning experiences in gymnastics in original physical education (PE) settings. A total of 56 students (28 males and 28 females), aged 16–17, took part in a seven-week gymnastics learning unit for the purpose of acquiring new motor skills and knowledge using VMEs, in the absence of teacher and peer assistance. Repeated measurements were collected through gymnastics floor routines and a custom-designed written test. Semi-structured interviews were administered to explore students’ self-regulated learning strategies. The analysis of quantitative data revealed significant improvements in males’ skill performance (pre: 4.54  ±  2.42, post: 10.97  ±  3.25 points; p <  0.001) and knowledge (pre: 6.43  ±  2.26, post: 13.19  ±  3.09 points; p < 0.001), as well as females’ skill performance (pre: 2.64  ±  2.09, post: 8.96  ±  4.12 points; p < 0.001) and knowledge (pre: 6.14  ±  2.48, post: 10.97  ±  3.25 points; p < 0.001) after taking part in the practical intervention. Sex-based differences, in favor of the males, were only observed in knowledge outcomes (males: Δ (Δ%) = 6.76 (105.1%), females: Δ (Δ%) = 4.25 (69.2%); p < 0.05). Qualitative data analysis yielded three major learning strategies: repeated viewing and interpretation of VMEs, self-talk and mental rehearsal. In conclusion, VMEs were able to empower the participating students to acquire motor skills and knowledge in PE classes through activating different metacognitive learning strategies, and even without resorting to teacher/peer assistance. Data from this study could prompt PE teachers to incorporate VME-mediated self-regulated learning methods into their teaching practices for better classroom management and for improving their students’ metacognition.

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Recent studies within the physical education domain have shown the superiority of dynamic visualizations over their static counterparts in learning different motor skills. However, the gender difference in learning from these two visual presentations has not yet been elucidated. Thus, this study aimed to explore the gender difference in learning basketball tactical actions from video modeling and static pictures. Eighty secondary school students (Mage = 15.28, SD = 0.49) were quasi-randomly (i.e., matched for gender) assigned to a dynamic condition (20 males, 20 females) and a static condition (20 males, 20 females). Immediately after watching either a static or dynamic presentation of the playing system (learning phase), participants were asked to rate their mental effort invested in learning, perform a game performance test, and complete the card rotations test (test phase). The results indicated that spatial ability (evaluated via the card rotations test) was higher in males than in female students (p < 0.0005). Additionally, an interaction of gender and type of visualization were identified, supporting the ability-as-compensator hypothesis: female students benefited particularly from video modeling (p < 0.0005, ES = 3.12), while male students did not (p > 0.05, ES = 0.36). These findings suggested that a consideration of a learner’s gender is crucial to further boost learning of basketball tactical actions from dynamic and static visualizations.

The interest in the efficiency of online learning was and remains a major concern to researchers especially during the worldwide pandemic crisis (COVID-19). Nonetheless, there is a lack of studies focusing on students’ perceptions in online physical education (PE) learning sessions. Based on the self-determination theory (SDT), the present investigation aimed to explore psychological need satisfaction (PNS) to understand the autonomy, competence, and relatedness of Saudi PE students during the online sessions undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. PE students (N = 321, 161 females and 160 males) completed an online questionnaire composed of demographic characteristics, grade point average (GPA), sleep and physical activity (PA) habits, and the physical education autonomy relatedness competence scales (PE-ARCS). A t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted and revealed that female students presented higher PNS compared with males. Students practicing PA had higher autonomy values than those not practicing PA (p = 0.001). However, no differences were recorded concerning competence and relatedness perceptions. The groups practicing walking, aerobic exercise, muscular training, and specialty training had higher values in autonomy and relatedness. The groups that slept for more than six hours a night, had previous experience with online learning, and had a GPA of more than three recorded higher PNS values. Correlation analysis showed high interdependence of the three PNS variables as well as with the variables of gender, experience with online learning, sleep hours, and type of PA practiced, but not with GPA or frequency of PA practice. The PNS values regarding online PE sessions were (i) higher in female students compared with males and (ii) related to previous experience in online learning, GPA, sleep habits, and type of PA. Walking, aerobic exercise, muscular training, and training in a specialty affected both autonomy and competence perception; however, relatedness was mainly affected by walking activity. Therefore, it is necessary to support ICT knowledge of students with low GPAs and to encourage them to adopt balanced sleep and physical activity habits to increase their perceptions of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in online PE lessons.