Abstract des Autors

This study investigated the effectiveness of the task method versus the command method of teaching the forehand and backhand tennis strokes. Two groups of male college students (N = 30) were given 6 weeks of tennis instruction, one group by each method. The class met 2 hours a week for a total of 12 hours of instruction. Subjects were given a pretest at the beginning of the course and a final test at the conclusion. Sixty days later the subjects were given a post-test to measure their retention of forehand and backhand tennis achievement. Results revealed that the task method was superior to the command method in the teaching of the backhand tennis stroke, but no significant difference was found between the two methods in the teaching of the forehand stroke. Both groups showed a significant improvement from the pretest to the final test within their respective groups. Of special significance were the results of the post-test for retention of the two skills which indicated that, although both groups suffered a regression in achievement, the task method group showed a significantly greater retention for both strokes, beyond the .01 level. Verf.-Referat