Shane Pill

Flinders University School of Education

Physical Education Studies

Bell (1998) noted that Sport Education in upper primary grades can be used effectively to teach modified sport to “ensure full student participation in developmentally appropriate activities” (p36).

Sport Education is a physical education model that presents an approach for the development of programs extending the experiences of students beyond that offered from traditional physical education teaching approaches. This is an important consideration as the manner of delivery of physical activity in physical education has been questioned for its capacity to realise educational outcomes for all students (Alexander & Luckman, 2001).

Can SE be more inclusive and lead to higher levels of engagement for students described as the reluctant participants and the socially isolated during previous physical education units.

Data from this study adds to the literature base on the viability and possibilities for SE in naturalistic settings (Brooker, Kirk, Braiuka & Bransgrove, 2000).

Sport Education “has been developed differently by different people in different contexts” (Penny & Brooker, 2002 p2). It is not intended to be viewed as sealed curriculum model (Shehu, 1998) which must be implemented as prescribed or not at all. The SE approach, therefore, should be adaptable “to meet particular teacher or curriculum goals” (Siedentop, Hastie, & Mars, 2004 p33).

A synopsis of relevant research considering SE indicates that teachers implementing the approach are generally positive about its contribution to the empowerment of student learning and the achievement of student learning outcomes.

The research methodology constituted a form of qualitative research in the pedagogue tradition (Bishop, 1992).

-exploratory in nature and concerned with classroom practicalities.

- relevant when researching collaboratively with teachers as teachers find it more relevant than other approaches as they “see themselves in it” (Nickson 2000, p.176).

The research involved one combined Year 6 and 7 mixed ability coeducational class of 27 students and their teacher in a Primary School R-7 setting.

The research was for the duration of a SE season which took place during Term 3 and consisted of one 45 minute lesson per week for ten weeks.

Attention was focussed on basketball with 5 mixed ability and mixed gender teams developing towards self responsibility for a half court basketball competition

As this was the first time the teacher and students had any experience with SE in order to validate that they were true to the model (Hastie & Sinelnikov, 2006) initial training was provided to the teacher into the SE approach.

The curriculum plan to be implemented was discussed over a series of planning meetings and, feedback and counselling were provided to the teacher continuously throughout the implementation of the curriculum plan.

Together with the teacher journal, opportunity for analysis of adherence to the SE approach was available.

SE develops a climate of inclusion and motivation

One student that is not highly motivated and generally struggles to fit in socially is the first to design the team logo, which was a high quality. Furthermore, the student also designed a team song. This effort impressed the team mates who I am sure would have previously not wanted this student in their team.

SE facilitates a broader range of curriculum outcomes

It was identified that there was an enhanced capacity to plan for student achievement and teacher collection of evidence of a broader range of physical education learning outcomes, particularly outcomes from the ‘Personal and Social Development’ strand of the relevant curriculum framework. It was noted by the teacher that the explicit pursuit of a broader range of curriculum outcomes presented the less physically competent students with an opportunity for a higher grade than when skill competency alone was used as the learning outcome

Evidence of transfer of learning

When we did athletics training at lunch and after school, the Year 6 and 7 students were taking responsibility for beginning stretching and warming up prior to my arrival. This hadn’t happened before we did SE. They were getting equipment out, setting up and allocating each other roles like measurer and recorder without being asked by me, which is not behaviour I had noticed prior to the SE experience. Students were taking what they were learning in class into the co curricular setting.

Intensification of the teachers work

Time was a barrier. Extra planning time to set up initially. Student meetings outside of class time were also an extra call on my time. Changing the students perception of PE and introducing ‘homework’, work outside of PE class time for the first time, mentoring and assisting students so they could do their roles competently intensified early lessons.

The need for support

Your role was important. Having a mentor with experience, to bounce ideas off regarding ways of implementing definitely helped. Without it, there would have been a lot more hurdles, lot more things would have gone wrong and less outcomes achieved. I can imagine that without that support many teachers would go ‘too hard’!

Students experience of SE

ConclusionThe results from this study support the assertion that from the teacher’s perspective, Sport Education is more motivating and inclusive of the students normally less inclined toward participation. The team affiliation feature of the SE approach was perceived as the key design element for enhanced motivation.

Preliminary analysis of student data reveals boys valued the SE experience more than the girls, particularly enjoying the more competitive nature of the competitive game phase of the unit.

Research collaborations with teachers in naturalistic settings can serve to promote issues in the implementation of curriculum and to provoke further questions which add to the literature base and understanding of curriculum development.