Infusing Traditional Filipino Games in Physical Education: Effects on Student Fitness and Engagement

Abstract

Background: Physical Education is essential for improving students’ fitness and engagement, but many college students are becoming less physically active. Integrating Traditional Filipino Games into PE is seen as a culturally relevant and engaging strategy that may enhance students’ physical fitness and participation in learning activities. Aims: This study examined whether integrating Traditional Filipino Games (TFG) into tertiary Physical Education instruction is associated with differences in physical fitness and student engagement among college students enrolled in PATHFIT 2. Study Design: Quasi-experimental posttest-only design. Place and Duration of Study: A Catholic higher education institution in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Philippines, during the second semester of Academic Year 2025-2026. The intervention lasted 12 weeks, with one 120-minute session per week. Methodology: The study involved 76 college students enrolled in PATHFIT 2 and grouped into two intact classes of 38 students each. A pretest was administered only for group matching and was not included in inferential analysis. After matching, the two sections were assigned by coin toss to either a control condition using basic physical fitness exercises or an experimental condition using five Traditional Filipino Games: Luksong Lubid, Luksong Tinik, Piko, Tiyakad, and Takyan. Physical fitness was assessed across cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, agility, balance, and coordination using procedures aligned with the Revised Physical Fitness Test. Student engagement was measured through a validated 50-item questionnaire covering behavioral, cognitive, emotional, social, and motivation and interest dimensions (Cronbach's alpha = .82). Descriptive statistics, independent-samples tests, and Pearson correlation were used at a .05 level of significance. Results: The TFG group obtained a higher posttest overall physical fitness mean than the BPFE group (M = 3.48, SD = 1.38 versus M = 3.12, SD = 1.31). However, the between-group comparison was not statistically significant, t(74) = 1.17, p = .247, 95% CI [-0.26, 0.98], d = 0.27. Both groups demonstrated high levels of student engagement, with no statistically significant difference between them, t(74) = 0.18, p = .858, d = 0.04. No significant relationship was found between physical fitness and student engagement, r = -.109, p = .350. Because the study used a posttest-only quasi-experimental design, the findings indicate between-group differences in posttest scores rather than definitive causal effects. Conclusion: Traditional Filipino Games may serve as a culturally responsive instructional option associated with higher descriptive posttest physical fitness scores among college students in tertiary Physical Education. While student engagement was high across both groups, the moderate motivation scores indicate that supplementary autonomy-supportive strategies may be necessary to further strengthen intrinsic motivation. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on culturally responsive and game-based pedagogies in tertiary Physical Education.