The Relationship between Active Participation in Practice-Based Courses and Learning Agility, Academic Self-Discipline, Reflective Thinking, and Self-Awareness: A Quasi-Experimental Study with Turkish Pre-Service Physical Education Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of pre-service teachers' active participation in an applied physical education and sports teaching course on their learning agility, academic self-discipline, reflective thinking, and self-awareness. To achieve this aim, the research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test/post-test control group. The research sample consisted of 67 Turkish pre-service physical education and sports teachers (33 in the experimental group and 34 in the control group) enrolled at a public university in Istanbul. The research was carried out with the approval of the ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Findings revealed a significant increase in learning agility levels among participants in the experimental group. However, no significant differences were found between the groups in terms of academic self-discipline, reflective thinking disposition, or integrative self-awareness. These results suggest that constructivist learning environments may contribute to fostering cognitive flexibility skills such as learning agility. Nevertheless, the development of individual and emotional competencies-such as self-discipline, reflective thinking, and self-awareness appears to require longer-term, structured, and guidance-based interventions.