Prioritize high-quality randomized controlled trials and umbrella reviews over producing further redundant CI meta-analyses¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 1 study (1 theoretical), q1 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The authors propose a forward-looking research agenda for the CI field: rather than adding more meta-analyses on top of low-quality primary studies, the field should invest in well-powered original experiments and in syntheses of existing syntheses. They write: "we emphasize the urgent need for high-quality, well-powered randomized controlled trials that emphasize the simultaneous comparison of multiple motor learning approaches and advocate for a shift toward comprehensive umbrella reviews to evaluate and synthesize existing meta-analyses". They also call for field-specific quality appraisal tools and caution against unnecessary or duplicative evidence syntheses.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Primary studies must be methodologically high quality and well powered for syntheses to be meaningful

Constraints¶

• The article notes the generally low methodological quality of original studies in the CI literature and substantial heterogeneity in motor learning research

Target Learners¶

• motor learning researchers and practitioners in sport and physical education

Target Learning Goals¶

• improving methodological standards in motor learning evidence synthesis

Claims¶

• A comparison of 193 pre-registered and 193 non-preregistered studies found no significant differences in positive results, effect sizes, or error rates [+W]
• Randomization does not ensure baseline equivalence in small-sample motor learning studies, so unbalanced pre-tests can overstate random-practice benefits [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Ammar, A., Trabelsi, K., Salem, A., Jahrami, H., & Schöllhorn, W. I. (2025). Advancing Contextual Interference: Addressing Methodological Debates, Reflecting on Meta-Analytic Practices and Generalizability, and Guiding Future Directions in Motor Learning. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-10043-1