Objective: This study aimed to identify the teaching methods preferred by students of the Faculty of Sports Science at the Arab American University in the Basketball (1) and Handball (1) curricula, and to explore their attitudes toward these methods. Methodology: The study employed a descriptive approach. The sample consisted of 112 students enrolled in the Basketball (1) course and 115 students in the Handball (1) course during the academic years 2020–2021 and 2021–2022. The study investigated students’ preferences across five teaching methods based on Mosston and Ashworth’s (2002) spectrum: command style, practice style, reciprocal style, guided discovery style, and divergent thinking style. A questionnaire was used as the main data collection tool. Main Results: The results showed that the reciprocal style was the most preferred teaching method for both basketball and handball, followed by the practice style, while the command style was the least preferred. Students demonstrated highly positive attitudes toward the preferred methods, especially regarding practical dimensions and the teacher’s role. No statistically significant differences were found in preferences based on gender or course type. Conclusions: Students favor interactive and student-centered teaching methods, with an emphasis on peer collaboration and practical application. Recommendations: The study recommends adopting the reciprocal and practice styles more extensively in sports education curricula. It also emphasizes the importance of training instructors in interactive teaching strategies and enhancing the psychological components of the teaching process. It also recommends maintaining consistent teaching methods without the need to modify them based on students’ gender or course type.

Title

An-Najah National University

Publisher

An-Najah National University

Publisher Country

Palestine

Indexing

Scopus

Impact Factor

0.9

Publication Type

Online only

Volume

40

Year

2026

Pages

18