IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF POST-ISOMETRIC RELAXATION AND STATIC STRETCHING ON QUADRICEPS MUSCLE DURING VERTICAL JUMP IN VOLLEY BALL AND BASKETBALL PLAYERS

Background and Aim: In today sports such as volleyball and basketball, Vertical Jump is considered as important component that enhance the performance of athlete. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of muscle energy technique on vertical jump performance in volleyball and basketball players. Methodology: This Randomized Clinical Trial was conducted at Islamic International University Islamabad. Twenty-nine athletes of age 18 – 35 playing basketball and volley as part time/domestic level were included. Post isometric relaxation technique was applied on group A (n=15) and static stretching was applied on group B (n=14). Surface electromyography activity of quadriceps and abdominal muscle was recorded, Stable time, airtime and vertical jump height were measured using two-axis force platform and vertical jump height was measured by motion sensor. Measurements were taken at baseline and immediately after applying interventions to both groups. Data entry and analysis were done by using software SPSS version 22. Results:   Of the 29 athletes, 15 were in the group A and 14 were in the group B. Immediate assessment of vertical jump height was not significantly improved by post-isometric relaxation relative to static stretching (p=0.594). Muscle recruitment, ground reaction and vertical jump height improved apparently after post isometric relaxation but not significantly. Conclusion: It appears that post isometric relaxation and static stretching of quadriceps shows no significant difference in vertical jump height.

Exploring the Efficiency of Concept Cartoons in Enhancing Grade Vii Students’ Conceptual Understanding in Selected Science Concepts

The importance of constructivist approach to teaching and learning science is growing significantly. Much of the efforts have been put to develop pedagogies that take into account constructivist views to improve students' learning outcomes. In this regard, concept cartoon is widely recognized as an innovative strategy rooted in constructivism; however, its efficacy in enhancing conceptual understanding in science needs to be investigated in the Pakistani science classrooms. Thus, this study focused on exploring the efficacy of concept cartoons in enhancing students' conceptual understanding in selected science concepts on Science Achievement Test for Heat (SAT-H). For this study, quasi-experimental design (pre-and post-test control group) was used as a research methodology. A total of 65 students from grade VII participated in the study including comparison group (n=35) and intervention group (n=30). The Science Achievement Test for Heat (SAT-H) was developed and validated which was administered to both groups as pre-test (before intervention) and post-test (after intervention). During intervention, intervention group (lG) was taught with concept cartoons and comparison group (CO) was taught with standard teaching practices. The two groups were compared on overall performance on SAT-H, performance on SAT-H content domains (i.e. heat and temperature, methods of heat transfer) and performance on SAT-H cognitive domains (i.e. knowledge, application and reasoning) in both pre-test and post-test. Results of the study revealed that on pre-test, both groups were evenly matched on their overall performance (p>0.05). Similarly, no differences were found between two groups in all content domains (p>0.05). However, among three cognitive domains, performance of the two groups was found to be different on two cognitive domains favoring 10 for application (p<0.05) and CO for knowledge (p<0.05). Conversely, on post-test, both groups showed improvement, however, IG performed considerably better than CG with significant difference (p