Rebecca Duncombe

Collaborative Professional Learning: from theory to practice

Abstract This article analyses continuing professional development (CPD) in the context of primary schools in England, and focuses particularly on the potential of collaborative professional learning (CPL) as a means of making CPD both relevant and specific. It draws upon a range of CPD and CPL literature to critically examine the key characteristics of ‘effective’ CPD and, within that framework, to analyse both the concept of CPL and its practical application. The area of practice used as an exemplar for this discussion is primary school physical education, an aspect of the curriculum that suffers from sparse initial teacher training and low levels of teacher confidence. Drawing on selected data from a 1–year research project in two case study schools, the evidence suggests that while it is clear that teachers would value further opportunities to engage in CPL, schools would need to radically alter their structures, processes and priorities to enable it to happen effectively

The role of physical activity/sport in tackling youth disaffection and anti-social behaviour

The purpose of this paper is to examine the existing evidence about the impact of sport/physical activity programmes on positive youth development in the context of education. The issue of youth disaffection is topical and a number of authors and policy makers have acknowledged that physical activity/sport may be an effective way of helping to address the problem. As a result, a number of initiatives aimed at re‐engaging disaffected or disadvantaged young people through physical activities have been developed and implemented in schools in the UK. Two such initiatives, the HSBC/Outward Bound project and Youth Sport Trust/BSkyB ‘Living For Sport’ programme, are discussed within this paper, and key findings from the monitoring and evaluation of each initiative are presented. Over a period of three years, more than 7000 pupils have been engaged in these programmes, and complete data sets have been collated for over 50% and 90% of Sky Living For Sport and HSBC/Outward Bound participants respectively. The findings suggest that both of these projects have had a positive impact on the behaviour and attendance of large numbers of pupils, and that engagement in lessons and relationships with both teachers and peers have improved and can be sustained. The findings also demonstrate, however, that impact is highly individualised and context‐specific in many cases, and that positive impact is more likely to be sustained when some or all of the following project features are in place: effective matching of pupil needs with the specific project objectives; locating project activities outside of the ‘normal’ school context; working closely with pupils to choose activities, set targets and review progress; establishing positive relationships between project leaders/supporters (mentors) and pupils; and giving pupils the opportunity to work with and for others.

Changing lives? Critical evaluation of a school-based athlete role model intervention

There would appear to be an enduring belief that successful sportsmen and women can act as powerful motivational role models for young people, especially disaffected, disadvantaged or disengaged youth. In the UK, for example, this belief has been expressed recently in the development of programmes, such as changingLIVES, the Respect Athlete Mentor Programme and Playing For Success. There are further examples around the world of programmes based on similar beliefs including Sporting Partnerships, Athlete Development Australia, Active Girls Breakfast and the Whitelion Sports and Recreation program. This paper reports an evaluation of the changingLIVES ‘athlete mentor’ programme in the UK. This was a school-based programme using successful sports people to deliver a series of motivational activities to young people who were identified as being disengaged or disaffected in some way. Conceptual confusion in the terms ‘mentor’ and ‘role model’ evident in the literature was mirrored in the programme design. The design of an appropriate evaluation strategy was constrained by the scale of the programme aims and the comparatively low evaluation budget. Nonetheless, detailed data were collected on individual pupils. Evaluation data suggested that although the teachers and young people did report an immediate positive reaction to the activities, there was limited evidence of a wider impact on young peoples behaviour, school attendance or self-esteem. It is argued that there should be greater conceptual clarity and a stronger evidence base supporting the design and delivery of interventions in schools that seek to use sports people as role models (or mentors) for young people.

Young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity: issues, divides and dilemmas

ABSTRACT Critical discourse analysis was used to explore and discuss data on young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity, selected from a wider study which focused on the role of secondary schools in effectively promoting physical activity. A mixed methods approach was utilised, involving an online survey to teachers in all state secondary schools in the UK (n = 603 responding schools) and case studies centred on eight randomly selected state secondary schools from nine Government regions across England. Within each case study school, teacher interviews and pupil focus groups were conducted involving 17 teachers and 132 children aged 12–15 years, respectively. The healthism discourse was evident in the way young people talked about health, fitness and physical activity and two key themes emerged, these being: (i) issues with young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity in the form of reductive, limited and limiting conceptions; conceptual confusion; a preoccupation with appearance, weight, fat, shape and size; limited progression in learning; and complexities in understandings; and (ii) divides between young people’s health knowledge and health behaviour, and dilemmas underpinning these divides. Improved understanding of issues with young people’s knowledge and understanding of health, fitness and physical activity and of divides and dilemmas regarding associated behaviours should assist in developing critical pedagogies which challenge the dominance and stability of the healthism discourse and more effectively promote healthy, active lifestyles amongst young people.

Recruitments, engagements, and partitions: managing participation in play

ABSTRACT This paper examines the social practices children use to manage participation in play activities. Part of a wider research project looking at childrens physical activity in play, this article considers the role of social interaction in shaping active play. The focus is on how children get others to take part in play they have initiated, and how inclusion and exclusion in play is managed. The data examined are video-recordings of seven- to eight-year-old childrens play with toys and boxes in groups of four. The analysis identifies three interactional strategies used to manage play participation: recruitments, engagements, and partitions. We discuss the design and use of these strategies within the play activity. The paper contributes to studies of childrens play interaction, and argues for the importance of understanding childrens social practices in studies of physical activity in play. Implications for interventions aimed at encouraging active play are discussed.

Ability to be active: exploring children's active play in primary schools

This paper presents findings from an innovative multi-method study which sought to examine the impact of toys and toy substitutes on childrens physical activity (PA) levels in two UK primary schools. Accelerometers were used to record the PA levels of 52 Year 3 pupils (aged 7–8 years) during 4 separate 30-minute play sessions and, for comparison, during other periods of the school day (breaks, lunch-times and PE lessons). Qualitative data were generated through observations, field notes and semi-structured focus groups with pupils. The findings suggest that a relatively short session of unstructured active play with toys or toy substitutes can make an important contribution to a childs daily level of PA. Moreover, they reveal that childrens enjoyment of play sessions and their creative, physical and social competence are also important influences on their engagement in and with active play. Some implications for policy, practice and future research are discussed.

Promoting physical activity in secondary schools Growing expectations, ‘same old’ issues?

There are growing expectations on schools to promote health and physical activity and helping schools to effectively do so is considered a priority. This paper reports on selected findings from a research project that was concerned with supporting secondary schools in the effective promotion of physical activity and establishing their needs in this regard. Specifically, the paper explores secondary school teachers’ experiences of and perspectives on promoting physical activity. The study involved an online survey with secondary schools across the United Kingdom, plus interviews with teachers from eight schools from different regions in England. The findings highlighted a number of issues concerning the promotion of healthy, active lifestyles generally, many of which seem to be long-standing. For example, issues associated with the status and place of health, the amount and nature of the training and support provided or accessed by teachers in the area, and schools’ effectiveness in promoting and engaging all pupils in healthy, active lifestyles were identified. These findings led to questions regarding the extent to which teachers are adequately and appropriately equipped to effectively promote physical activity and to recommendations to improve the support for and practice of schools in this area.

Qualitative inquiry of the Singapore environment and motivation of elite athletes: a self-determination perspective

Abstract With the paucity of research on the motivational processes in elite sport, this qualitative study was undertaken to explore the relationship between specific environmental factors and the motivation of elite Singaporean athletes. Consistent with the principles of interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this study acted as a medium for five current and five former national athletes to provide their personal accounts of elite sport in Singapore based on their lived experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed according to the procedures of IPA to provide an in-depth account of participants’ experiential concerns. Five super-ordinate themes emerged from the data: attraction to sport, support environment, personal sacrifices, organizational obstacles and recommendations for better well-being. These themes provide a subjective account of how participants were involved in sport for their personal satisfaction and, with a strong support environment, were willing to make sacrifices for sport but were impeded by the very organizations in place to support them. For athletes to progress in elite sport, it is recommended that organizations shift their focus on outcomes to the process and development of athletes.

Strengthening "the Foundations" of the Primary School Curriculum.

ABSTRACT The low status of the foundation subjects (e.g. Music and Physical Education (PE)) in English primary schools is well documented. Using PE as an illustrative example, a thematic analysis of 51 PE trainee students’ assignments, based on their perceptions of a two-week experience in a primary school, highlighted a number of areas of concern (e.g. limited/inadequate preparation; insufficient teacher knowledge/confidence; variable/limited subject leadership and non-qualified teachers delivering the curriculum). The possibility of teachers, coaches and other external specialists learning collaboratively with and from each other within a community of practice/learning is proposed as one way of strengthening the foundation subjects within the primary school curriculum.