Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus)
The age range of 13–14 years represents a critical developmental stage for adolescent girls, marked by accelerated frontal lobe maturation and heightened responsiveness to environmental stimuli. At this age, girls are especially receptive to structured learning, particularly in physical education, where cognitive and motor demands intersect. Yet very few studies have examined how differing lesson content influences attention and motor competence in this group. This study compared three physical education interventions: (1) low-content aerobic exercises with low cognitive engagement, (2) content-rich exercises with low cognitive engagement, and (3) content-rich exercises with high cognitive engagement. Seventy-five girls were randomly allocated to one of three groups and completed a fourteen-week programme consisting of three forty-five-minute sessions each week. Motor competence and attention were measured before and after the programme using the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition, and the d2 Test of Attention. Data were analysed with mixed-effects models, Pearson correlation coefficients, and principal component analysis. The second and third groups recorded significant gains in both motor and attentional outcomes, with the greatest improvements in the third group. Motor competence was positively correlated with attention performance, indicating parallel development of physical and cognitive domains when lessons combine motor richness with cognitive challenge. These findings highlight the value of cognitively engaging, content-rich physical education in supporting adolescent girls’ development. Schools should embed structured, game-based activities that integrate physical and cognitive challenges to enhance the educational impact of physical education.