Pupils' and teachers' perceptions of a culminating festival within a sport education season in Irish primary schools

Abstract

Background: While there is considerable literature on Sport Education, little attention has been afforded to an investigation into the use of a specific festival as a culmination to a season. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to examine primary school pupils' and teachers' perceptions of an inter-school festival. Methods: Pupils from eight classes in four Irish primary schools participated in a 3-month season employing the Sport Education Curriculum Model. A modified invasion game provided the activity focus. Interview data were collected from pupils and teachers prior to, during and after the festival. Results: Results indicated that prior to the festival, pupils were, while excited and looking forward to the festival, not certain about what the day would entail. During the festival pupils reported how their team was performing and discussed elements of the festival they enjoyed most. Post-festival, pupils focused on their team's performance and spoke positively about their memories of the day. Teachers reported the success of the festival in maintaining pupils' interest with pupils keen to prepare their teams to play against other schools. Conclusions: This study might offer some direction and possibilities to those working in youth and community sport settings who may wish to transfer sport experiences along the lines of the Sport Education approach from a school context into these specific sport cultures.