Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effect of motor skill interventions using the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach versus the traditional (linear) method on response inhibition and cognitive flexibility in male and female high school students in Shahroud.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design. A total of 120 tenth-grade students (60 girls and 60 boys) were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (TGfU) or the control group (linear). Interventions consisted of eight 60-minute sessions over four consecutive weeks. Cognitive flexibility was assessed using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and response inhibition was measured using a computerized Stroop task. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA within a mixed 2×2×2 factorial design (Time × Group × Gender).

Results: The main effect of time was significant for both cognitive flexibility (F(1,116)=267.646, p<0.001, η²=0.698) and response inhibition (F(1,116)=1477.311, p<0.001, η²=0.927). The Time × Group interaction was significant for cognitive flexibility (F(1,116)=8.206, p=0.005, η²=0.066), indicating the TGfU group showed significantly greater improvement compared to the linear group. For response inhibition, the three-way interaction of Time × Group × Gender was significant (F(1,116)=5.775, p=0.018, η²=0.047). The main effect of gender was not significant for either variable.

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the TGfU approach may be considered an effective strategy for enhancing cognitive flexibility in adolescents. However, extending this effectiveness to response inhibition requires further evidence.