Test items measuring tennis skills would come from which domain? affective cognitive psychomotor psychosocial
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: Psychomotor
Explanation:
Test items measuring tennis skills fall under the psychomotor domain. The psychomotor domain refers to the area of learning and assessment that involves physical movement, coordination, and the use of motor skills. When evaluating someone’s ability to play tennis, such as serving, volleying, or footwork, you’re assessing how well they can control their body in response to various stimuli — which is precisely what the psychomotor domain encompasses.
Educational theorists such as Simpson and Harrow have categorized learning into three broad domains:
- Cognitive domain – focuses on knowledge and mental skills (e.g., understanding tennis rules or strategies).
- Affective domain – addresses feelings, attitudes, and values (e.g., motivation to play or teamwork).
- Psychomotor domain – relates to physical skills and performance (e.g., swinging a racket or foot coordination).
Tennis requires a complex blend of hand-eye coordination, agility, timing, balance, and muscular control. To measure tennis skills, one might test how well an individual performs in drills such as a backhand shot, overhead serve, or rally consistency. These all demand motor proficiency and body control — key aspects of the psychomotor domain.
The other domains listed — affective, cognitive, and psychosocial — are important in a broader learning or development context but are not directly related to the performance-based skills central to tennis. For example, while the cognitive domain may assess knowledge of tennis rules and strategy, and the affective domain may relate to a player’s attitude toward sportsmanship, neither directly measures physical skill execution, which is the focus when evaluating tennis performance.
Thus, psychomotor is the most accurate domain for test items that assess tennis skills.