Oleg A. Sinelnikov

Russian students’ participation in and perceptions of a season of Sport Education

This study examined the participation and perceptions of a cohort of sixth-grade Russian students as they participated in a season of basketball that followed a Sport Education format. Thirty-seven students from two classes completed 18-lesson seasons. Throughout the initial skills practice sessions and practice games, as well as the formal competition phase, students of both genders and skill levels spent most of their lesson time actively engaged in motor tasks. The students also demonstrated significant competence in the officiating and coaching roles associated with the season. In interviews during and following the season, the students commented that they found the season to be particularly interesting, that they enjoyed having student coaches and that they developed significant team affiliation. Questionnaire data confirmed that students believed they had made significant gains in their skill and understanding of basketball. These findings are discussed within the context of self-determination theory.

Sport Education for Teachers: Professional Development When Introducing a Novel Curriculum Model

The purpose of this study was to provide a description of an on-site professional development program for Russian teachers as they learned to teach Sport Education. A concurrent objective was to investigate the effectiveness of this professional development opportunity. Participants were two physical education teachers (one with 27 and one with 3 years of experience) who taught separate sixth grade physical education classes in a school in the Central Chernozem Region of Russia. The data sources included the researcher’s log, informal discussions, briefing/debriefing sessions and semi-structured interviews. The following four themes were generated: (a) the need for sample lesson observance in the training phase, (b) teaching-to-model congruency validation, (c) difficulties of ‘letting go of the control’, and (d) cooperative learning. The findings of the study are discussed using the theoretical framework on factors influencing professional development (Birman et al., 2000) and the model of teacher change (Guskey, 1986; 2002). L’éducation sportive pour les enseignants: le développement professionnel à partir d’un nouveau programme de formation Cette étude avait pour objectif de présenter les caractéristiques d’un programme de développement professionnel en situation des enseignants russes à partir des modalités selon lesquelles ils ont appris à enseigner l’éducation physique. Parallèlement, l’enjeu était d’apprécier l’efficacité de cette opportunité de développement professionnel. Deux enseignants d’éducation physique, ayant 27 années pour l’un et 3 années pour l’autre d’expérience professionnelle, ont participé à cette étude. Ils enseignaient dans des classes de sixième niveau au sein d’établissements d’une région russe, la Chernozem Centrale. Les données étaient constituées de prises de notes du chercheur, de discussions informelles, des séquences de travail pré et post-leçon et d’entretiens semi-directifs. Les quatre thèmes suivants ont fait l’objet d’une analyse : a) la nécessité de l’observation de leçons en cours de formation initiale, b) la validation d’un modèle d’enseignement, c) les difficultés inhérentes à la perte de contrôle et d) l’apprentissage coopératif. Les résultats de cette étude sont discutés en référence au cadre théorique de Birman et al. (2000) portant sur les facteurs influençant le développement professionnel, et au modèle du ‘teacher change’ (Guskey, 1986 ; 2002). Formación deportiva para profesores: desarrollo profesional en la introducción de un nuevo modelo curricular. El propósito de este estudio fue aportar la descripción de un programa colateral de desarrollo profesional para profesores rusos mientras aprendían a enseñar Educación Deportiva. Un objetivo concurrente fue el de investigar la eficiencia de esta oportunidad de desarrollo profesional. Los participantes fueron dos profesores de educación física (uno con 27 y otro con 3 años de experiencia) los cuáles impartieron docencia en clases separadas de 6° grado de educación física en una escuela de la región central de Chernozem en Rusia. Los datos se obtuvieron a partir de los diarios de los investigadores, discusiones informales, sesiones con órdenes de trabajo y entrevistas semi estructuradas. Se generaron los cuatro temas siguientes: (a) la necesidad de la observancia de una clase de prueba durante el periodo de formación, (b) Validación de la congruencia de enseñanza al modelo, (c) dificultades de seguir el control, y (d) aprendizaje cooperativo. Los hallazgos del estudio se analizan utilizando el marco teórico de los factores que influyen en el desarrollo profesional (Birman et al, 2000) y el modelo de cambio del profesor (Guskey, 1986, 2002). Ausbildung von Sportlehrern: Professionelle Entwicklung bei der Einführung eines neuen Curriculum-Modells Dieser Untersuchung diente der Beschreibung eines berufsbegleitenden Entwicklungsprogramms für russische Lehrer in der Ausbildung zum Sportlehrer. Außerdem sollte die Effektivität dieses professionellen Entwicklungsprogramms festgestellt werden. An der Untersuchung nahmen zwei Sportlehrer (einer mit 27-jähriger und einer mit 3-jähriger Erfahrung) teil, die zwei verschiedene 6. Klassen einer Schule im Zentralen Schwarzerdegebiet Russlands unterrichteten. In die Datenerhebung wurden auch die Aufzeichnungen des Untersuchers, informelle Diskussionen, Einführungs- und Abschlussgespäche sowie halbstrukturierte Interviews einbezogen. Die folgenden vier Themenbereiche wurden identifiziert: (a) ein Bedarf für exemplarische Hospitationen in der Trainingsphase, (b) Validierung der Übereinstimmung mit dem Lehrermodell, (c) Schwierigkeiten mit der Verringerung der Kontrolle und (d) kooperatives Lernen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung wurden innerhalb eines theoretischen Rahmens von Faktoren diskutiert, die die professionelle Entwicklung (Birman et al., 2000) und die Veränderung von Lehrmodellen (Guskey, 1986; 2002) beeinflussen.

The development of skill and tactical competencies during a season of badminton

Abstract In this study, we examined the development of skill competence and tactical knowledge of 41 eighth-grade students (mean age 13.6 years) as they completed a season of badminton conducted following the features of Sport Education. Using data from students’ performance on badminton skills tests, their competence in game play, and their tactical knowledge, it was determined that these students made significant improvements in their ability to not only control the shuttle, but also to hit it more aggressively. This resulted in improvements in both the selection (what shot to make) and execution (ability to produce the desired shot) dimensions of their game play. In addition, the students demonstrated significant improvements in their ability to select tactical solutions and make arguments for those decisions when watching videotaped performances of badminton games. The key explanation for the development of competence in this setting was that the structure of the Sport Education season allowed for significant practice opportunities, and that the authenticity and consequential nature of the game play helped move all but weak novice students from a more cooperative version of net-game play to one where tactical decision making and execution was valued.

A motivational analysis of a season of Sport Education

Background: The Sport Education curriculum model with its goals to develop competent, literate and enthusiastic sportspersons has been gaining popularity across the globe. To date, studies have yet to investigate the objective motivational climate of Sport Education. Aims: The purpose of this study was to measure and describe the objective motivational climate of a Sport Education season conducted in a Russian school. Method: The participants in this study were 21 ninth-grade Russian students (12 boys and 9 girls) who did not have any previous experience with Sport Education. The teacher in the study was a Russian native who had 4 years of experience teaching and researching Sport Education in schools and colleges across the USA and Russia. The study took place in a public coeducational school located in a city (population 300,000) in the central part of Russia. Classes met three times a week for the entire academic quarter (6 weeks) for a total of 18 lessons, and each lesson was scheduled for 40 minutes. The TARGET (task, authority, recognition and evaluation, grouping and timing) motivational climate variables were collected by analyzing the video of every lesson. The data collection protocol included identifying and coding ‘mastery’, ‘neither’, and ‘performance’ variables of each TARGET structure. The computerized software, BEST, used in data collection allowed recordings of multiple and overlapping frequency behaviors as well duration behaviors. Following the protocol of Morgan and colleagues, the mean percentage of ‘mastery’, ‘performance’ and ‘neither’ teaching behaviors were calculated for each of the TARGET categories individually in each phase of the Sport Education season (skill practice, practice competition, formal competition) as well as the total for the entire season. The mean percentages of frequency of coded behaviors for task, recognition/evaluation, and timing were calculated, whereas mean percentages of duration of coded behaviors were calculated for the authority, grouping and time structures of TARGET. Results: The results of video analysis demonstrated that this Sport Education season had more mastery-oriented and less performance-oriented teacher behaviors. The objective motivational climate of skill practice and practice competition phase had more of a mastery-oriented climate, while performance TARGET behaviors in the competition phase were more prevalent. Conclusion: The overall objective motivational climate of this Sport Education season was neither mastery-oriented nor performance-oriented, but rather an intermingling of the two approaches. Consequently, teachers must be cognizant of the motivational climate and understand which elements in Sport Education contribute to the mastery climate and which to performance climate. Since a mastery climate is positively related to a range of positive student outcomes, it is crucial to stay true to the model when teaching, recognize the elements that contribute to performance orientation, and when possible, emphasize mastery structures. One of the ways of promoting mastery structures in Sport Education seems to be in increasing the mastery-oriented teacher behaviors in evaluation and recognition structures.

Perceived and actual motivational climate of a mastery-involving sport education season.

The purpose of the study was to implement a Sport Education season designed to be mastery-involving and examine the degree of congruence between the objective measure of the presented climate with the students’ perceptions of the saliency of this motivational climate. Twenty-one male high school students (mean age of 15.9 years) and one expert teacher participated in 12 lessons, each of 90 minutes’ duration, of team handball taught using Sport Education. During each phase of the Sport Education season the TARGET motivational climate variables were coded by analyzing the lesson videotapes. Following each phase, students completed the “perceptions of teacher’s emphasis on goals” questionnaire. Results showed a consistent student perception of a mastery climate across all phases of the season. The teacher was able to manipulate the predominantly performance-based task structure of practice style tasks and formal competition within the model to foster a mastery climate with an emphasis on mastery-based recognition and evaluation structures. The latter finding has important instructional implications for facilitating student motivation within the teaching of competitive sports in secondary physical education.

Bicycle Sfety: Sport Education Style

Abstract As programs increasingly emphasize lifelong physical activity, bicycling—and its safety requirements—will likely become a more frequent unit in physical education.

Changing beginning teachers’ content knowledge and its effects on student learning

Background: Lack of content knowledge (CK) is problematic in teaching in classroom subject areas and in physical education. There is a dearth of data-based research on interventions aimed at helping teachers acquire CK and, in turn, on the effects of CK on student learning. Aim: To investigate the effect of professional development, in the form of a CK workshop, on the quality of instruction and student learning. Participants: Two beginning middle-school physical education teachers of both genders who had no experience in playing or teaching badminton were purposefully selected. A total of 48 students (2 teachers × 4 classes × 6 students) participated in this study. Data collection and analysis: Descriptive statistics for students’ and teachers’ data were reported. General linear models with a nested design structure were used to examine the statistical differences of the mean percentage of students’ correct or incorrect performances between the comparison and experimental classes. Findings: Most students rarely performed the skills correctly in the comparison classes, whereas the students tended to perform the skills correctly in the experimental classes. Both teachers used more correct task representations and more mature tasks by using more diverse forms of visual and verbal representations in teaching after the badminton CK workshop. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that a relatively short, 4-hour CK workshop was effective in changing teacher pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) behaviors. More importantly, the results also demonstrate that these changes in teacher PCK behaviors produced better student learning. However, levels of procedural fidelity of workshop in teaching need to be further investigated.

Pre-service teachers’ experiences implementing a hybrid curriculum: Sport education and teaching games for understanding

A hybrid Sport Education (SE) and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) pedagogical model shifts responsibilities to students and enhances game play by focusing on tactical problems. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine pre-service teachers’ (PTs) perceptions teaching a SE-TGfU hybrid; and (2) identify facilitators and inhibitors that PTs experienced when implementing the model. Twenty-two PTs taught a hybrid SE-TGfU invasion games season to 162 students aged 10 to 11 years. Data included focus group interviews, critical incident reflections, daily lesson plans, and field notes. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicate that PTs were attracted to the hybrid model due to its unique and complementary nature and perceived increased levels of student engagement in the class. However, most PTs had a surface understanding of the hybrid model and lacked the pedagogical content knowledge to make adjustments. The importance of early, field based exposure to new pedagogical models is highlighted.

Teaching young adults with disabilities through service learning

While many scholars agree that service learning is beneficial to both the student and the community, the research on service learning in the physical education setting is limited. However, there are courses that can be aligned with the professional preparation needs of students and the broader needs of the community. Drawing on theory which has guided experiential education, the study examined what the students learning to teach young adults with disabilities consider meaningful when teaching, and how perceptions regarding disabilities evolve during a field experience that incorporates service learning and critical reflection. Fifty undergraduate students enrolled in an Adapted Physical Education course partnered with 24 young adults with disabilities for 10 weeks of biweekly cardiovascular and strength and conditioning instruction. Data were collected qualitatively and grounded theory approach guided the analysis of the critical incident reports, reflections, interviews, and direct observations. When analysing data, three distinct stages of development emerged illustrating students’ progression during service learning: anticipation, familiarization, and commitment. The duration of each phase seemed to be unique to each student. Establishing and developing relationships were perceived as the most meaningful experience while communication and effective teaching strategies were most challenging. Critical reflection ensures that students advance from anticipation and familiarization to commitment, which constitutes change, not only in attitude and understanding, but in behaviour.

Promoting professional learning through ongoing and interactive support: three cases within physical education

This paper reports on three cases where university teacher educators have provided an ongoing and interactive support system for teachers learning a particular curriculum and instructional model in physical education in their own schools. Located in diverse contexts (Ireland, Spain and Taiwan), each of these initiatives was grounded in the idea that previous efforts at professional development in settings outside the school led to less than successful implementation of innovative practice once teachers returned to their own settings. The three cases provide a description of the rationale for the professional development initiative, followed by a more extensive description of the professional development itself and its resultant outcomes. The third part of each scenario serves to highlight the challenges faced by the providers and the teachers during the course of the professional development. Three major themes (time, accessibility and modeling) that were common across sites are discussed in terms of the implications for professional development not only in physical education, but across subject areas irrespective of geographical location.