Effect of smartphone applications before deep learning: promoting physical activity enjoyment and physical fitness among children with disabilities
Keywords:
Two Types of Teaching, Physical Activity Enjoyment, Physical Fitness, Students with DisabilitiesAbstract
Background: The use of smartphone applications (SA) before deep learning (DL) is currently showing an increase in popularity in the context of physical education (PE) teaching, but the effects smartphone applications within deep learning (SADL) on physical activity enjoyment (PAE) and physical fitness (PF) are still unclear. Objectives: Our current study aims to analyse the effects of SADL on PAE and PF among students with disabilities. Methods: This study adopted an experimental design with a 10-week pretest-posttest design. We involved 40 participants with disabilities from two schools in Karawang (Indonesia). They were allocated to the SADL (n = 20) and control group (CG, n = 20). PAE and PF assessments were conducted twice, at the pretest and posttest stages. Results: Our main findings prove that there was no difference in PAE and PF scores between the SADL and CG at the pretest stage, but we found different results at the posttest stage, which showed that there was a difference in PAE and PF scores between the SADL and CG. Conclusion: The findings suggest that integrating smartphone applications within a deep learning framework may enhance physical activity enjoyment and selected components of physical fitness among students with disabilities.
Downloads
References
Alecu, S., Onea, G. A., & Badau, D. (2025). The Relationship Between Motivation for Physical Activity, Physical Activity Level, and Body Mass Index for University Students. Sports, 13(4), 96. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13040096
Alonso-Fernández, D., Gutiérrez-Sánchez, Á., Portela-Pino, I., & Taboada-Iglesias, Y. (2022). Evaluation of Applications for Mobile Devices on the Practice of Physical Exercise in Adolescents. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 12(6), 2784. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12062784
Amalia, E. F., Setiawan, E., Kastrena, E., Jumareng, H., Rahadian, A., Patah, I. A., & Gani, R. A. (2021). Physical Education Curriculum Model: Can FEM and SEM Create Participation in Physical Activity and Enjoyment? Journal Sport Area, 6(3), 286–295. https://doi.org/10.25299/sportarea.2021.vol6(3).6851
Bajamal, E., Abou Hashish, E. A., & Robbins, L. B. (2024). Enjoyment of Physical Activity among Children and Adolescents: A Concept Analysis. Journal of School Nursing, 40(1), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/10598405221137718
Berki, T., & Tarjányi, Z. (2022). The Role of Physical Activity, Enjoyment of Physical Activity, and School Performance in Learning Motivation among High School Students in Hungary. Children, 9(3), 320. https://doi.org/10.3390/ children9030320
Bertills, K., & Björk, M. (2024). Facilitating Regular Physical Education for Students with Disability—PE Teachers’ Views. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6(July), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1400192
Bogalho, D., Gomes, R., Mendes, R., Dias, G., & Castro, M. A. (2022). Impact of Flexibility on Vertical Jump, Balance and Speed in Amateur Football Players. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 12(11), 5425. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115425
Bonn, S. E., Hummel, M., Peveri, G., Eke, H., Alexandrou, C., Bellocco, R., Löf, M., & Trolle Lagerros, Y. (2024). Effectiveness of a Smartphone App to Promote Physical Activity Among Persons With Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Controlled Trial. Interactive Journal of Medical Research, 13, e53054. https://doi.org/10.2196/53054
De Souza-Pajuelo, A. A. R., Tarazona-Luján, A. F., & Reyes – Bossio, M. (2021). Physical Activity Enjoyment and Self-Efficacy in School Performance of 11-17-Year-Old Students at Educational Institutions in Lima. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(3), 2183–2189. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2021.s3278
Demetriou, Y., Reimers, A. K., Alesi, M., Scifo, L., Borrego, C. C., Monteiro, D., & Kelso, A. (2020). Effects of School-Based Interventions on Motivation Towards Physical Activity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Systematic reviews, 8(1), 113. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-019-1029-1
Gil-Espinosa, F. J., Nielsen-Rodríguez, A., Romance, R., & Burgueño, R. (2022). Smartphone Applications for Physical Activity Promotion from Physical Education. Education and Information Technologies, 27(8), 11759–11779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-11108-2
Ha, T., Fan, X., & Dauenhauer, B. (2024). Physical Activity Enjoyment, Physical Activity Behavior, and Motor Competence in Low-Income Elementary School Students. Education Sciences, 14(6), 629. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14060629
Kurtoǧlu, A., Koca, M. E., Türkmen, M., Çar, B., Eken, Ö., Setiewan, E., & Elkholi, S. M. (2025). Immediate Effect of Exercise and Music on Attention among School-Age Youth: A Comprehensive Experimental Study. Medicine (United States), 104(27), e43219. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000043219
Li, X. (2025). Deep Learning to Promote Health Through Sports and Physical Training. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1583581. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1583581
Liang, L., Zhang, Z., & Guo, J. (2023). The Effectiveness of Augmented Reality in Physical Sustainable Education on Learning Behaviour and Motivation. Sustainability (Switzerland) , 15(6), 5062. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15065062
Martín-Rodríguez, A., & Madrigal-Cerezo, R. (2025). Technology-Enhanced Pedagogy in Physical Education: Bridging Engagement, Learning, and Lifelong Activity. Education Sciences, 15(4), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15040409
Pelemiš, V., Pavlović, S., Mitrović, N., Nikolić, I., Stević, D., & Trajković, N. (2024). Physical Activity Levels During Physical Education Classes and Their Impact on Physical Fitness in 10-Year-Old School Children: A Comparative Study. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 9(4), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk9040220
Pérez-Muñoz, S., Castaño Calle, R., Morales Campo, P. T., & Rodríguez-Cayetano, A. (2024). A Systematic Review of the Use and Effect of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality in Physical Education. Information (Switzerland), 15(9), 582. https://doi.org/10.3390/info15090582
Rahayu, E. T., Al Raffi, M. I., Setiawan, E., Tannoubi, A., Afrinaldi, R., Sharipov, A., Prihandani, K., Suherman, A., Syafrida, R., & Konukman, F. (2025). Integrating Smartphone Apps During Differentiated Teaching: Promoting Increased Student Engagement and Performance in Team Sports Activities in Middle School Physical Education. Physical Activity and Health, 9(1), 110–123. https://doi.org/10.5334/paah.442
Redondo-Flórez, L., Ramos-Campo, D. J., & Clemente-Suárez, V. J. (2022). Relationship between Physical Fitness and Academic Performance in University Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14750. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214750
Sucipto, S., Hidayat, Y., Hambali, B., Gumilar, A., & Nur, L. (2023). Exploring the Influence of Gender and Tactical Learning Approaches on Students’ Enjoyment Levels in Physical Education. Jurnal Cakrawala Pendidikan, 42(3), 719–732. https://doi.org/10.21831/cp.v42i3.54218
Silva, R. J. R., Cunha, F. M. P., Da Silva, A. M. C., & Batista, P. M. F. (2024). Empowering Students in Physical Fitness Through Assessment for Learning in Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 24(5), 1174–1182. https://doi.org/10.7752/jpes.2024.05135
Sun, H., Du, C. R., & Wei, Z. F. (2024). Physical Education and Student Well-Being: Promoting Health and Fitness in Schools. PLoS ONE, 19(1), e0296817. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296817
Tannoubi, A., Ouergui, I., Srem-Sai, M., Hagan, J. E., Quansah, F., & Azaiez, F. (2023). Effectiveness of Video Modeling in Improving Technical Skills in Young Novice Basketball Players: A Quasi-Experimental Study. Children, 10(4), 687. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10040687
Vega-Ramírez, L., Notario, R. O., & Ávalos-Ramos, M. A. (2020). The Relevance of Mobile Applications in the Learning of Physical Education. Education Sciences, 10(11), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110329
Wibowo, R. A., Kelly, P., & Baker, G. (2020). The Effect of Smartphone Application Interventions on Physical Activity Level among University/College Students: A Systematic Review Protocol. Physical Therapy Reviews, 25(2), 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1080/10833196.2020.1756125
Wu, C., & Liu, G. (2022). Analysis of Physical Education Based on Deep Learning on College Students’ Mental Health and Social Adaptability. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(August), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.963155
Yang, M., Wu, J., Wu, Y., & Li, X. (2024). RETRACTED: Yang et al. How Does Physical Activity Enhance the Subjective Well-Being of University Students? A Chain Mediation of Cognitive Reappraisal and Resilience. Behav. Sci. 2024, 14, 164. Behavioral Sciences, 14(9), 753. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14090753
Zhang, M., Wang, W., Li, M., Sheng, H., & Zhai, Y. (2022). Efficacy of Mobile Health Applications to Improve Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis for Physically Inactive Individuals. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(8), 4905. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19084905
Zhang, L., Liu, Z., Zhao, L., & Gao, J. (2025). The Impact of Digital Technology Use on Teaching Quality in University Physical Education: An Interpretable Machine Learning Approach. Applied Sciences (Switzerland), 15(14), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/app15147689
Zhong, Q., Jiang, J., Bai, W., Yin, Z., Liao, Z., & Zhong, X. (2025). Application of Digital-Intelligent Technologies in Physical Education: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1626603. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1626603
Zhu, Z., Xu, Z., & Liu, J. (2023). Flipped Classroom Supported by Music Combined with Deep Learning Applied in Physical Education. Applied Soft Computing, 137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asoc.2023.110039
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Akhmad Dimyati, Dikdik Fauzi Dermawan, Dhika Bayu Mahardhika, Ruslan Abdul Gani, Edi Setiawan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, search, or link to full-text articles in this journal without asking by giving appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. All of the remix, transform, or build upon the material must distribute the contributions under the same license as the original.
Accepted 2026-04-21
Published 2026-04-29























.png)



.png)







.png)





