Employing the teaching games for understanding model to improve social responsibility in a Physical Education class with children who have special needs: A qualitative study approach

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore whether children with special needs taking part in physical education (PE) could improve their levels of social responsibility using the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) model over a fourteen‐lesson period. The study used a qualitative semi-structured interviews approach in which the design consisted of an assessment after lesson 7 and then again after lesson 14. A TGfU dodgeball intervention was carried out during the study and the participants (n = 14) were in their second and third years of secondary education within a special needs school specifically established for children who have social, emotional, and mental health concerns (SEMH). According to the background and ability levels of the students the teacher- researcher decided to implement the full use of the original TGfU model using its features to act as a strategy for intervention. The teacher-researcher was an experienced teacher of PE who undertook a dual role throughout the study including assessing the data and undertaking the semi-structured interviews. Qualitatively, data was open and coded line‐by‐line and incident‐to‐incident, categorised into themes and then analysed further into sub‐ themes. The qualitative information supported that the pedagogical strategies within the original TGfU model could have a clear impact on the levels of democracy, empowerment and reflections of children with special educational needs. In conclusion, the TGfU model should be considered as an approach and positive intervention to improve the social responsibility levels of children with special needs.