Effects of Pilates Training on Physical, Physiological and Psychological Performance in Young/Adolescent Volleyball Players: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

DESCRIPTION:

This manuscript is a randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of Pilates Practice on physical performance and psychological aspects in adolescent volleyball players. They found that Pilates training could be valuable for improving service accuracy and core strength. I found this trial of significant interest. Please find below my suggestions:

Abstract:

1-     “We investigated if Pilates improves certain individual volleyball skills (jumping ability and accuracy of execution skill) and certain psychological aspects in young male athletes (12-14 years old).” You mentioned jumping ability and accuracy of execution skill here but I did not find these terms in the conclusion or among the results. Please try to be consistent with the terminology used.

2-     Please report if the trial has been previously registered.

3-     Please inform about the specific psychological aspects that have been assessed.

4-     Please report participants according to their allocated group. For example. A total of 40 athletes (IG:20; CG:20)…

5-     I recommend using the same terminology for the groups (for example in the Methods section/participants; “Forty young volleyball players were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG, n = 20) or the control group (CG, n = 20).” In other sections, authors mentioned: Group A/B. I suggest Pilates vs. Control group.

6-     Results. You should inform about which specific measures improved in Pilates vs. Control with 95%CI or p-value.

7-     Title. After reading the whole manuscript I think that the title should be changed. Here is a potential option: “Effects of Pilates training on physical and psychological performance in young/adolescent volleyball players: A randomized controlled trial.”

INTRODUCTION

1.     “Optimal nutrition is recognized as a key factor affecting athletic 29 performance [4].” Nutrition is key for physical performance, but this RCT is not related to nutrition. So I suggest the first paragraph of the introduction informs readers about what is physical and psychological performance, how are these factors measured and which interventions have shown how to improve physical and psychological performance-related variables among athletes and specifically among volleyball players.

2.     “Physiologically, Pilates routines are designed to boost muscle strength and endurance, enhance flexibility, and refine balance 36”. Correct typo 36?

3.     Second paragraph should explain what is Pilates and how is commonly applied among different populations, specifically among athletes. Please provide evidence about their effects on the diverse athlete population. Try to be concise and do not repeat information about the Pilates principles. I suggest adding the most updated meta-analysis among Pilates interventions and their effects (physical and mental/psychological).

4.     “Moreover, volleyball is a sport that relies heavily on aerobic capacity [22]. 79 Study on Pilates for young volleyball players shows mixed results, with some 80 studies indicating benefits and others finding no significant impact.”  Please see this reference when exploring the effects of Pilates on Cardiorespiratory fitness/aerobic capacity: Fernández-Rodríguez R, Álvarez-Bueno C, Ferri-Morales A, Torres-Costoso AI, Cavero-Redondo I, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Pilates Method Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med. 2019 Oct 23;8(11):1761. doi: 10.3390/jcm8111761. PMID: 31652806; PMCID: PMC6912807.

5.     Authors explained the basis of Pilates and Volleyball, but I think they make a large introduction on this, try to combine it by talking first about Pilates and their effects on sports (physical and mental performance) then adding volleyball and the previous evidence of pilates effect on volleyball performance (if any) or adding core/mind-body interventions on volleyball players. Do not discuss in the introduction.

6.     I liked the last paragraph of the introduction, it is a good justification paragraph for this review but I found the other paragraphs too long and misleading the message and aim of this study. Please revise according to my suggestions and above comment, and try to summarise from lines 63 to 145.

7.     Overall, I found the introduction quite long. 51 references for an introduction? That’s definitely a lot here. Authors need to be concise and report clearly why is needed this RCT, which gap of knowledge is going to fill? (last paragraph of the introduction).

Methods:

1.     Include Ethics committee approval.

2.     “The study used a randomize controlled study to investigate the effectiveness”. Please reword this sentence: “This study was a prospective, randomized, parallel-group trial (Figure 1: it should be the schematic of study subject recruitment and retention, please include this figure and information). Update this accordingly in the abstract section.

3.     How was the randomization performed?

4.     Was the assessment of outcomes blinded?

5.     “The Table 1 summarizing…” Reword: The Table 1 summarizes the baseline characteristics of participants.

6.     Please include information about the Pilates protocol, exercises, series, repetition, rest time..etc (if too long, use the supplementary material)

 

Results:

1.     “The purpose of the study is likely to see if the Pilates program for Group B leads to further improvement in jumping ability and accuracy of execution compared to Group A.” Delete. In the results section, you do not have to remind about the purpose of the study, just describe concisely the results found.

2.     “Table 1 shows changes in jumping and accuracy of execution skills after a Pilates program for the 20 athletes in the study.” Reword: Table 1 shows the changes in jumping performance and serving precision, and the state of mindfulness scale (bodily sensations and mental events) for both groups. Be consistent with groups terms. (see above comment)

Discussion

1.     “The results indicate that integrating Pilates into the training program of a young male volleyball athlete could serve as a beneficial strategy in notably improving their enduring athletic abilities…..”. Please consider rewording and try to be concise and specific about the findings of your trial, for example: Our findings suggest that adding pilates to the usual/habitual volleyball training is effective for improving jumping performance and serving precision as well as psychological outcomes (explain it) in adolescent male players.

2.     First paragraph of the discussion should be related with your main findings (as above) and ending with potential clinical applications, for example: Our results reinforce the use of pilates training for young volleyball players to improve…, therefore…

3.     After the first paragraph (that should be edited), you must discuss your findings with previous evidence. Same/different results..why? differences and similarities with previous evidence in the field must be discussed.

4.     Then you can include a potential mechanism paragraph about how Pilates (because of the breathing exercise, the core work, balance..etc) is an effective training for improving the outcomes that you assessed

5.     Reorganizing the discussion section is highly recommended.

6.     Limitations about the tool used to measure physical and psychological performance should be mentioned.

7.     Conclusion:

 

a.      which acute effects have been assessed?? I think you only measured after the whole intervention (3/4 months)

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Some professional english review is recommended

Author Response

DESCRIPTION:

This manuscript is a randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of Pilates Practice on physical performance and psychological aspects in adolescent volleyball players. They found that Pilates training could be valuable for improving service accuracy and core strength. I found this trial of significant interest. Please find below my suggestions:

Dear Reviewer,

On behalf of all co-authors, we thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to revise our manuscript. At the same time, we appreciate you for the positive and constructive comments on our manuscript. Thank you so much for your suggestions, which are great insights for us to improve our work.

 

Abstract:

• “We investigated if Pilates improves certain individual volleyball skills (jumping ability and accuracy of execution skill) and certain psychological aspects in young male athletes (12-14 years old).” You mentioned jumping ability and accuracy of execution skill here but I did not find these terms in the conclusion or among the results. Please try to be consistent with the terminology used.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have corrected the manuscript using the terms consistently.

2-     Please report if the trial has been previously registered.

Dear Reviewer,

We did not consider it necessary to register our study as the intervention does not involve any administration of drugs, biological, and device products, as well as surgical procedures, and behavioral treatments.

• Please inform about the specific psychological aspects that have been assessed.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

 

• Please report participants according to their allocated group. For example. A total of 40 athletes (IG:20; CG:20)…

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

• I recommend using the same terminology for the groups (for example in the Methods section/participants; “Forty young volleyball players were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (EG, n = 20) or the control group (CG, n = 20).” In other sections, authors mentioned: Group A/B. I suggest Pilates vs. Control group.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have corrected the manuscript using the terms consistently.

 

• Results. You should inform about which specific measures improved in Pilates vs. Control with 95%CI or p-value.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

• Title. After reading the whole manuscript I think that the title should be changed. Here is a potential option: “Effects of Pilates training on physical and psychological performance in young/adolescent volleyball players: A randomized controlled trial.”

Dear Reviewer,

we have corrected the title as you suggest.

INTRODUCTION

1. “Optimal nutrition is recognized as a key factor affecting athletic 29 performance [4].” Nutrition is key for physical performance, but this RCT is not related to nutrition. So I suggest the first paragraph of the introduction informs readers about what is physical and psychological performance, how are these factors measured and which interventions have shown how to improve physical and psychological performance-related variables among athletes and specifically among volleyball players.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction in order to improve the quality of the manuscript. Many thanks for your suggestions.

 

 

2. “Physiologically, Pilates routines are designed to boost muscle strength and endurance, enhance flexibility, and refine balance 36”. Correct typo 36?

Dear Reviewer,

We have corrected it.

3. Second paragraph should explain what is Pilates and how is commonly applied among different populations, specifically among athletes. Please provide evidence about their effects on the diverse athlete population. Try to be concise and do not repeat information about the Pilates principles. I suggest adding the most updated meta-analysis among Pilates interventions and their effects(physical and mental/psychological).

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction following your suggestions.

 

4. “Moreover, volleyball is a sport that relies heavily on aerobic capacity [22]. 79 Study on Pilates for young volleyball players shows mixed results, with some 80 studies indicating benefits and others finding no significant impact.”  Please see this reference when exploring the effects of Pilates on Cardiorespiratory fitness/aerobic capacity: Fernández-Rodríguez R, Álvarez-Bueno C, Ferri-Morales A, Torres-Costoso AI, Cavero-Redondo I, Martínez-Vizcaíno V. Pilates Method Improves Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med. 2019 Oct 23;8(11):1761. doi: 10.3390/jcm8111761. PMID: 31652806; PMCID: PMC6912807.

Dear Reviewer,

We have considered it.

 

5. Authors explained the basis of Pilates and Volleyball, but I think they make a large introduction on this, try to combine it by talking first about Pilates and their effects on sports (physical and mental performance) then adding volleyball and the previous evidence of pilates effect on volleyball performance (if any) or adding core/mind-body interventions on volleyball players. Do not discuss in the introduction.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction following your suggestions.

 

6. I liked the last paragraph of the introduction, it is a good justification paragraph for this review but I found the other paragraphs too long and misleading the message and aim of this study. Please revise according to my suggestions and above comment, and try to summarise from lines 63 to 145.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction following your suggestions.

 

7. Overall, I found the introduction quite long. 51 references for an introduction? That’s definitely a lot here. Authors need to be concise and report clearly why is needed this RCT, which gap of knowledge is going to fill? (last paragraph of the introduction).

 

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction following your suggestions.

 

Methods:

1. Include Ethics committee approval.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

2. “The study used a randomize controlled study to investigate the effectiveness”. Please reword this sentence: “This study was a prospective, randomized, parallel-group trial (Figure 1: it should be the schematic of study subject recruitment and retention, please include this figure and information). Update this accordingly in the abstract section.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this sentence

 

3. How was the randomization performed?

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

4. Was the assessment of outcomes blinded?

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

5. “The Table 1 summarizing…” Reword: The Table 1 summarizes the baseline characteristics of participants.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this sentence

 

6. Please include information about the Pilates protocol, exercises, series, repetition, rest time..etc (if too long, use the supplementary material)

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

Results:

1. “The purpose of the study is likely to see if the Pilates program for Group B leads to further improvement in jumping ability and accuracy of execution compared to Group A.” Delete. In the results section, you do not have to remind about the purpose of the study, just describe concisely the results found.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have deleted this information

 

2. “Table 1 shows changes in jumping and accuracy of execution skills after a Pilates program for the 20 athletes in the study.” Reword: Table 1 shows the changes in jumping performance and serving precision, and the state of mindfulness scale (bodily sensations and mental events) for both groups. Be consistent with groups terms. (see above comment)

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this sentence

 

Discussion

1. “The results indicate that integrating Pilates into the training program of a young male volleyball athlete could serve as a beneficial strategy in notably improving their enduring athletic abilities…..”. Please consider rewording and try to be concise and specific about the findings of your trial, for example: Our findings suggest that adding pilates to the usual/habitual volleyball training is effective for improving jumping performance and serving precision as well as psychological outcomes (explain it) in adolescent male players.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this sentence

 

2. First paragraph of the discussion should be related with your main findings (as above) and ending with potential clinical applications, for example: Our results reinforce the use of pilates training for young volleyball players to improve…, therefore…

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this sentence

 

3. After the first paragraph (that should be edited), you must discuss your findings with previous evidence. Same/different results..why? differences and similarities with previous evidence in the field must be discussed.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have reworded this section

 

4. Then you can include a potential mechanism paragraph about how Pilates (because of the breathing exercise, the core work, balance..etc) is an effective training for improving the outcomes that you assessed

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have organized the discussion in a different way

 

5. Reorganizing the discussion section is highly recommended.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have organized the discussion in a different way

 

6. Limitations about the tool used to measure physical and psychological performance should be mentioned.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this information

 

7. Conclusion:
8. which acute effects have been assessed?? I think you only measured after the whole intervention (3/4 months)

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have deleted this information

 

 

Dear Reviewer,

as you suggest we have revised quality of English, in order to improve the overall readability and precision of our manuscript. Particularly, Prof. Bronwen Hughes a native speaker English, Professor at the Department of Medical, Exercise and Well-being Sciences – University of Naples “Parthenope” (Italy), completely revised the paper.

Her email is the following:

[email protected]

 

 

You can find changes highlighted in red.

 

Many thanks for your time and assistance.

 

Sincerely,

The authors

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

A PDF is attached.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Comments on the Quality of English Language

The quality of the writing is satisfactory, as improvements can be made in areas such as grammatical correctness, identification of typing errors, clarity, reading fluidity, and better use of specific terms.

Author Response

 Date: August 5, 2024

Journal: Education Sciences

Article: Physiological and Educational Aspects of Pilates Training and Health in the Context of Physical Education

Thank you for submitting your paper titled, “Physiological and Educational Aspects of Pilates Training and Health in the Context of Physical Education” to the Education Sciences. I enjoyed reading your work. Please accept my comments in the respectfully constructive way they are intended.

The quality of the writing is satisfactory, as improvements can be made in areas  such as grammatical correctness, identification of typing errors, clarity, reading  fluidity, and better use of specific terms.

The title must be revised to better suit the content of the article. It is crucial that the introduction is robust, identifying the respective hypotheses as well as an objective that integrates all the results obtained. The methodology used is appropriate, although there are aspects that require review and reflection, such as the use of the SNS questionnaire.

The references cited are, for the most part, recent publications. However, the list of references must be reformulated entirely to consider the recommended style.

 

Dear Reviewer,

On behalf of all co-authors, we thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to revise our manuscript. At the same time, we appreciate you for the positive and constructive comments on our manuscript. Thank you so much for your suggestions, which are great insights for us to improve our work.

 

 

TITLE

 

The title should be revised to better reflect the content of the article. Specifically, it addresses volleyball athletes' physiological and psychological variables rather than focusing on educational aspects within the context of Physical Education. Revisit it to include the appropriate information. To improve the overall coherence, it is recommended to include hypotheses and consider revising the main goal accordingly.

Dear Reviewer,

we have corrected the title and made the manuscript in line with it.

 

ABSTRACT

Add relevant information in this section, such as the number of participants, statistical procedures, and limitations of the study.

Dear Reviewer,

we have corrected the abstract and added the missing informations .

 

Page 1, Line 7: I recommend using lowercase letters, more appropriate for common nouns.

Dear Reviewer,

we have corrected them.

 

Page 1, Line 9: Please enhance your writing by considering plural verb agreement. All text should be proofread to identify and correct similar typos.

Dear Reviewer,

we have corrected them.

 

Page 1, Line 14: Rewrite the sentence to avoid starting with a number.

Dear Reviewer,

we have rewritten this sentence.

 

Page 1, Line 17: “Group A (control) also showed slight improvement, likely due to increased focus during the study.” There appears to be insufficient information in the results of this study to support this statement.

Dear Reviewer,

we have deleted this information as you suggest.

 

KEYWORDS

Page 1, Line 24: replace “physical education” (and others) with a relevant keyword that portrays your work and enhances your search.

Dear Reviewer,

we have rewritten keywords.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The rationale presented throughout the introduction is not always clear. Even

though some connections between the different themes are perceived, there are theoretical foundations that must be developed, strengthened and better clarified. To improve the overall coherence, it is recommended to include hypotheses and consider revising the main goal accordingly. There are several statements throughout the introduction that need reference.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten the introduction in order to improve the quality of the manuscript. Many thanks for your suggestions.

 

Page 1, Line 40: A reference must be added that supports the statement.

Dear Reviewer,

We have added the reference.

 

Page 2, Line 55/56: A reference must be added that supports the statement.

Dear Reviewer,

We have added the reference.

 

Page 2, Line 68: The terms used should be revised to better align with the specific terminology of the volleyball.

Dear Reviewer,

We have revised it.

 

Page 2, Line 80/81: A reference must be added that supports the statement.

Dear Reviewer,

We have added the reference.

 

Page 2, Line 88/102: The rationale presented in these paragraphs could benefit from greater clarity regarding its connection to the issues being studied. A more explicit link between the theoretical foundation and the results would enhance the explanation. Additionally, providing more detailed information about the studies mentioned would be helpful in understanding the findings.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section in order to improve the quality of the manuscript.

 

Page 3, Line 118/119: A reference must be added that supports the statement.

Dear Reviewer,

We have added the reference.

 

Page 3, Line 122/126: While the rationale for strength gains is addressed, it is suggested that the impact of flexibility training on volleyball performance be further explained.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section as you suggest.

 

Page 3, Line 132/133: To enhance the content, it would be beneficial to add and further develop information on the maturational and developmental implications of adolescence.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section as you suggest.

 

Page 3, Line 149/150: The relationship intended by the authors regarding early specialization is not entirely clear and needs further development.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section as you suggest.

 

Page 3, Line 153/154: The main goal presented focuses on analyzing the impact of Pilates on jumping capacity and the precision of execution skills. However, it does not address aspects related to psychological skills, which are discussed in other parts of the article. To improve the overall coherence, it is recommended to include hypotheses and consider revising the goal accordingly.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section as you suggest.

 

 

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The experimental design aligns well with the main objective of the study. However, there are a few points to consider regarding the choice of instruments and the objectives they address. As previously mentioned, the study’s primary focus is on evaluating performance in jumping and skill execution, for which the selected instruments are suitable.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section as you suggest.

 

Nevertheless, the inclusion of the State Mindfulness Scale (SMS), which measures participants' awareness of their current level of consciousness and experience over a specific period, introduces an additional dimension that was not initially identified as part of the study’s objectives.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section in order to made it in line with the manuscript

 

Furthermore, it is important to note that the SMS was developed in Israel for use with Hebrew-speaking adults with an average age of 23 years. Its application in different contexts, languages, and populations may raise concerns about its validity and reliability. A better option to understand the athletes' perceptions would perhaps have been conducting interviews.

Dear Reviewer,

As you suggest we have added this concern in the limitations of the study. However, we have used it because this Test has often been used in other studies with good results on athlete (Ruimi et al., 2018; Thompson, 2017; Varela, 1996).

 

Ethics and data confidentiality statements are presented and appropriate.

Dear Reviewer,

as you suggest we have added these informations.

 

Page 6, Line 298: The suggested reference style must be adopted.

Dear Reviewer,

We have corrected the reference style as you suggest.

 

Page 6, Line 301/303: It is advisable to be careful with the statements made. Can we be sure that the relationship is entirely direct and unambiguous? Given  that all participants will continue their regular training program, it is essential to acknowledge that ongoing training affects the athletes…and, consequently, the study results.

Dear Reviewer,

We have deleted this sentence in order to avoid misunderstanding.

 

Page 7, Line 15: Although the statistical analysis mentions the assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variances, the specific values supporting their validation are not presented. The information must be added.

Dear Reviewer,

as you suggest we have added these informations.

 

RESULTS

Considering the previously mentioned concerns regarding the use of the SMS, it would be advisable not to include its results and discussion. Furthermore, this information exceeds the study's stated objectives. Authors should reflect on this issue.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section in order to made it in line with the manuscript

 

The results of the manuscript appear reproducible based on the details provided in  the methods section. Most information presented in the table, along with the details  described in the text, is both adequate and easy to interpret. However, there is information that should be added.

Dear Reviewer,

We have rewritten this section in order to made it in line with the manuscript

 

 

Dear Reviewer,

as you suggest we have revised quality of English, in order to improve the overall readability and precision of our manuscript. Particularly, Prof. Bronwen Hughes a native speaker English, Professor at the Department of Medical, Exercise and Well-being Sciences – University of Naples “Parthenope” (Italy), completely revised the paper.

Her email is the following:

[email protected]

 

 

You can find changes highlighted in red.

 

Many thanks for your time and assistance.

 

Sincerely,

The authors

 

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors, 

Thank you so much for considering the suggestions.

I think that the manuscript is almost ready to be considered for publication. 

I have some concerns related to the high number of references. For instance, the first sentence of the introduction has 5 references: "Improving performance is essential for a professional athlete (1-5)". I strongly suggest you select the most suitable and most recent reference for this sentence and do the same with other sentences in the manuscript. I still found the introduction quite long, so I suggest the authors summarise the information related to Volleyball and Pilates. Your manuscript shows the effects of Pilates on physical and mental performance in volleyball players, so I think there is no need to make big paragraphs with general info about volleyball or Pilates.

I also suggest that the introduction follows a logical order, do not jump from volleyball to pilates and then to volleyball again. Every paragraph needs to be connected with the previous logically. For example, introduce Pilates and how Pilates can be good for volleyball players (if needed introduce volleyball as a sport with a couple of sentences). 

- Figure 1 should be the study flow diagram, please correct this through the manuscript.

- Explain how the blinding of the assessment was made.

After these amendments, I think the paper can be considered for publication in Education Sciences.

 

Author Response

Dear authors, 

Thank you so much for considering the suggestions.

I think that the manuscript is almost ready to be considered for publication. 

Dear Reviewer,

On behalf of all co-authors, we thank you very much for giving us this opportunity to revise our manuscript. At the same time, we appreciate you for the positive and constructive comments on our manuscript. Thank you so much for your suggestions, which are great insights for us to improve our work.

 

I have some concerns related to the high number of references. For instance, the first sentence of the introduction has 5 references: "Improving performance is essential for a professional athlete (1-5)". I strongly suggest you select the most suitable and most recent reference for this sentence and do the same with other sentences in the manuscript. I still found the introduction quite long, so I suggest the authors summarise the information related to Volleyball and Pilates. Your manuscript shows the effects of Pilates on physical and mental performance in volleyball players, so I think there is no need to make big paragraphs with general info about volleyball or Pilates.

I also suggest that the introduction follows a logical order, do not jump from volleyball to pilates and then to volleyball again. Every paragraph needs to be connected with the previous logically. For example, introduce Pilates and how Pilates can be good for volleyball players (if needed introduce volleyball as a sport with a couple of sentences). 

 

Dear reviewer,

We have revised the Introduction and summarized the information. In addition, we have revised the chronological order of the paragraphs by connecting them to each other in an appropriate way.

 

- Figure 1 should be the study flow diagram, please correct this through the manuscript.

Dear reviewer,

We have corrected it through the manuscript.

 

- Explain how the blinding of the assessment was made.

Dear reviewer,

We have explained how the blinding of the assessment was made.

After these amendments, I think the paper can be considered for publication in Education Sciences.

 

Dear reviewer,

You can find changes highlighted in red.

 

Many thanks for your time and assistance.

 

Sincerely,

The authors

 

 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for your efforts in addressing the suggestions provided. I believe that this version is suitable for acceptance; however, I recommend a final review to identify minor errors, such as 'investingations' on page 13, line 631.

Author Response

Thank you for your efforts in addressing the suggestions provided. I believe that this version is suitable for acceptance; however, I recommend a final review to identify minor errors, such as 'investingations' on page 13, line 631.

 

Dear Reviewer,

Many thanks for your time and suggestions. we appreciate you for the positive and constructive comments on our manuscript. Thank you so much for your suggestions, which are great insights for us to improve our work.

We have revised the entire manuscript in order to improve the quality of it.

 

Kind regards,

The authors

Author Response File: Author Response.docx