Integration of Traditional Games in Educational Technology-Based Physical Education Learning to Improve the Physical Fitness of Female Students

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of integrating traditional games into physical education learning based on educational technology to improve the physical fitness of female students. The study used a quantitative approach with a quasi-experimental method and a 2 × 2 factorial design involving 168 female students of PPMI Assalaam Surakarta aged 13–18 years. The sample was selected using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique and divided into treatment and control groups. The treatment group participated in physical education learning that integrated traditional games, while the control group received conventional learning. The research instrument used the Nusantara Student Fitness Test (TKPN) which includes measurements of body mass index, flexibility, muscle strength and endurance, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and the Mann–Whitney U Test. The results showed that the treatment group experienced a higher increase in physical fitness than the control group with a gain score of 0.389 and 0.170. This increase was significant in both age groups, namely 13–15 years and 16–18 years (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that integrating traditional games into educational technology-based learning designs can create active, contextual, and meaningful learning experiences, making them more effective in improving the physical fitness of female students than conventional learning. This research confirms that utilizing local culture-based learning resources is an educational technology innovation that can support improvements in the quality of physical education learning.