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ERIC Number: EJ1478116
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Sep
Pages: 41
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-726X
EISSN: EISSN-1573-336X
Available Date: 2025-07-24
Advancing Contextual Interference: Addressing Methodological Debates, Reflecting on Meta-Analytic Practices and Generalizability, and Guiding Future Directions in Motor Learning
Educational Psychology Review, v37 n3 Article 73 2025
Given that the contextual interference (CI) phenomenon is one of the most extensively studied and debated topics in motor learning--featured prominently in scientific literature, textbooks, and practitioner guides--it is unsurprising that recent meta-analyses on the topic have generated critical discussion and contrasting interpretations. This article responds comprehensively to the commentary by Czyz (2025) on our recent meta-analytic work evaluating CI effects across acquisition, retention, and transfer phases in sports related movements. We systematically address their methodological critiques, clarify inclusion decisions, and challenge inconsistencies in their own analytic approach and interpretation--particularly regarding baseline equivalence, study exclusion, and epistemologically inadmissible generalized claims. In addition to a detailed point-by-point rebuttal, we provide a comparative evaluation of recent CI-related meta-analyses and offer a broader reflection on the current state of meta-analytic practice in motor learning. We highlight concerns related to statistical ritualism, inconsistent quality control, and the growing redundancy of evidence syntheses. Finally, we present targeted recommendations for future research, including the need for high-quality randomized controlled trials, field-specific quality appraisal tools, and comprehensive umbrella reviews to better integrate fragmented evidence. Collectively, these reflections aim to enhance methodological standards and ensure more context-sensitive and scientifically sound conclusions in CI and broader motor learning research.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Department of Training and Movement Science, Institute of Sport Science, Mainz, Germany; 2University of Sfax, Research Laboratory, Molecular Bases of Human Pathology, LR19ES13, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia; 3University of Sfax, High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Sfax, Tunisia; 4LR15JS01 High Institute of Sport and Physical Education, University of Sfax, Research laboratory, Education, Motricity, Sport and Health (EM2S), Sfax, Tunisia; 5the University of Jordan, Department of Movement Sciences and Sports Training, School of Sport Science, Amman, Jordan; 6Government Hospitals, Manama, Bahrain; 7Arabian Gulf University, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Manama, Bahrain