<![CDATA[Background & objective: Traditional instructor-centered approaches in martial arts education often limit student autonomy and critical thinking development. This study examined the implementation of student-centered pedagogies in Taekwondo instruction within higher education settings. Materials & Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted over 14 weeks, comprising 28 instructional sessions. Sixty-four students were initially recruited. Three participants met the predefined exclusion criteria and were excluded from the final study sample, leaving 61 participants for analysis: 30 in the student-centered group and 31 in the traditional instruction group. The intervention incorporated autonomy support, inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, self-assessment, and differentiated instruction. The comparison group received traditional instructor-centered instruction. Outcomes were assessed using measures of technical proficiency, tactical knowledge, self-efficacy, autonomous learning behavior, attendance, and engagement. Between-group outcomes were examined using analyses that accounted for baseline scores. Results: The student-centered group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in technical proficiency (d=1.24, p<0.001), tactical knowledge (d=1.46, p<0.001), self-efficacy (d=1.38, p<0.001), and autonomous learning behaviors (d=1.52, p<0.001) compared to the control group. Post-intervention between-group comparisons revealed substantial differences favoring the experimental approach across all measured variables. Conclusions: Student-centered pedagogies significantly enhance learning outcomes in Taekwondo education beyond traditional methods. Implementing autonomy-supportive, inquiry-based, and collaborative learning strategies promotes deeper engagement, skill development, and self-regulated learning capacities. These findings advocate for pedagogical reform in martial arts instruction within higher education contexts.]]>
