Senior Physical Education Research Articles

Arnold wanted X but we got Y – the Queensland senior physical education syllabus application of the Arnoldian perspective

ABSTRACT Background For over two decades, the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) has used Arnold’s tri-dimensional perspective of movement (1979, 1988) as a framework for its senior Physical Education (PE) syllabus documents (1998, 2004, 2010, and 2018). As the most recent version, the Queensland Senior Physical Education Syllabus-2019 (QSPES) cites Arnold’s perspective as ‘a philosophical and educative framework to promote deep learning in three dimensions: about, through and in movement contexts’ (QCAA 2018, 1), it is reasoned these principles will be evident throughout this Australian state syllabus. Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the claimed adherence to the Arnoldian perspective in the QSPES (QCAA 2018) as stated in its curriculum intention statement (see QCAA 2018, 1). Discussion The authors suggest that a reinterpretation of Arnold’s intention has occurred in the application of his perspective to the QSPES (QCAA 2018) and suggest what may occur as a consequence of this reinterpretation. Conclusion We conclude by discussing the potential effects of this reoriented view of Arnold’s perspective on students, teachers, and PE in general. The discussion highlights a familiar story of PE attempting to legitimise itself through science and academia and how in most cases the warnings against such validation have fallen on deaf ears.

Improved Vertical Jump After Jumping Rope Practice for Volleyball Extracurricular Players at SMA 1 Arosbaya

This research is based on discussions with a senior Physical Education trainer (teacher) at SMAN 1 AROSBAYA, Bangkalan Regency, one of the subjects the students really like. I really like volleyball sports materials. Teachers in the field of Physical Education, Health and Recreation at SMAN 1 AROSBAYA apply that when teaching students, almost all students are happy and understand the material. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of jumping rope training on the vertical jump of volleyball athletes in the extracurricular activities of SMAN 1 Arosbaya. Based on the frequency distribution in table 4.2, the results of the pretest and posttest of Jumping Rope Exercises for Volleyball Extracurricular Vertical Jump at SMA 1 Arosbaya, Bangkalan Regency, namely based on the output above, the mean value of the I/Pre Test test was 228.27 cm while for Test II/posttest it was 229 ,93. So it can be concluded that the average training acquisition has a different average. Based on the output that has been tested, that the significance value is 0.000 > 0.05, there is a significant change in the results of the Jump Rope Exercise experiment on Volleyball Extracurricular Jump at SMA 1 Arosbaya, Bangkalan Regency.

Values can be taught through Physical Education

Previous studies have emphasized the potential of using Physical Education (PE) as a platform to teach values. However, few teachers are deliberate in their attempts to teach values through PE as many may not have the teaching strategies to achieve the affective learning outcomes. What is unknown currently is the starting point of newly trained PE teachers, specifically in Singapore’s context, Beginning Physical Education Teachers (BPETs), on their preparedness to teach in the affective learning domain. The purpose of the study is to listen to the “lived experiences” of BPETs through interviews on their strategies and challenges to incorporate the teaching of values in their classroom. Three BPETs (2M, 1F) with no more than 3 years of teaching experience from primary and secondary schools were invited to participate in the study. Individual interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim. The transcript was analysed using thematic analysis. The findings highlighted three common themes: 1. PE being a platform to see values in action; 2. Discussion on values and what it means in students’ lives; and 3. Reflection on their BPET journey. The findings show that BPETs believe that values can be taught through PE, and they would attempt to teach values in explicit or implicit ways. However, some teachers suggested specific courses that could equip them with the strategies to teach values specifically in a PE setting. Future studies can consider interviewing senior PE teachers on their experiences and strategies teaching values through PE.

Senior Physical Education Teacher Education Majors’ Reflections on Teaching at a Youth Development Center

Purpose: Acknowledging the growing ethnic and cultural gap in diverse teacher and student populations, this study examined the pedagogical experiences of undergraduate physical education teacher education seniors following a teaching experience at a youth development center. Method: A phenomenological case study approach was employed in which preservice teachers taught and participated in over 45 secondary physical education lessons. The primary data sources were reflective journals and semistructured interviews. Results: Two major themes were constructed that describe the journeys of the physical education teacher education seniors teaching at both the youth development center field experience and in their internship placements the following semester. Initially, the preservice teachers experienced nervousness, uncertainty, and concern but, across time, experienced a degree of change and growth that saw them becoming particularly aware of and appreciating the personal biographies of their students. Discussion: The extent to which the physical education teacher education seniors’ experiences at the youth development center were transferred into their internships is discussed in addition to implications for introducing culturally relevant pedagogies in nontraditional settings.

The Effects of Integrated Step Training into the Physical Education Curriculum of Children with Intellectual Disabilities.

(1) Background: This study investigated the changes in step frequency, walking ability, and standing posture of students with intellectual disabilities by integrating step training into the students’ physical education curriculum; (2) Methods: The centroid formula was used to estimate the geometric center of the students’ bodies in video footage of each participant. Each participant’s stepping frequency per minute was recorded. After training, the teachers involved were interviewed regarding the participants’ everyday activities in school. Each step training session was recorded by two video cameras. Each step training session was observed and photographed by a senior physical education teacher with special education qualifications; (3) Results: The step training increased the stability of the participants’ body axes. The participants’ average steps per minute of the participants significantly improved from 24.200 ± 7.554 to 28.700 ± 8.629. Additionally, despite the students exhibiting anxious behavior (e.g., squeezing their hands and grasping at their clothes) at baseline, the frequency of these behaviors decreased significantly from week 4. Overall, the students’ daily activities, motivation, interpersonal interaction, self-confidence, and anxiety behaviors improved; (4) Conclusions: After the 8-week step program, the participants with intellectual disabilities improved their step frequency, movement stability, ability to perform daily activities, walking speed, motivation, interpersonal interaction, and self-confidence, and they exhibited a lower level of anxiety-related behaviors.

O CONCEITO DE INCLUSÃO DE DISCENTES DE EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA DE UNIVERSIDADES PÚBLICAS DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO NO CONTEXTO SOCIAL DA SUA PRÁTICA

A formação inicial em Educação Física tem se reconstruído segundo os paradigmas inclusivos em implantação na sociedade. Assim, este estudo objetivou verificar o conceito de inclusão apresentado por estudantes universitários concluintes do curso de Educação Física em instituições públicas do estado de São Paulo. Para isso, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa qualitativa por meio da aplicação de questionário a 322 acadêmicos. Os dados foram analisados pelo programa Iramuteq, por meio das análises de Classificação pelo Método de Reinert, Análise de Similitude e Nuvem de Palavras. Como resultado, foi identificado que os discentes respondentes têm alcançado a construção de um conceito de inclusão condizente com a complexidade do princípio, considerando aspectos legais, sociais, psicológicos e afetivos imbuídos nessa proposta.

Observed teaching styles of senior physical education teachers in Australia

Prior to 2005, it was not known what teaching styles were used for physical education (PE) in the state of Queensland, Australia. In order to explore the effect that teachers’ beliefs about teaching styles influenced their self-reported use, Cothran et al. (Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76(2), 193–201, 2005) conducted a study in which teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire that presented various teaching style scenarios based on the 11 styles identified by Mosston and Ashworth (2008). This research included Queensland teachers of both primary and secondary PE, but did not confirm through observation the accuracy of the self-reporting. To address this gap, this paper presents the findings of observations of teaching styles used by nine teachers of Queensland senior PE across three 1-h lessons of a 9-week unit, to determine whether syllabus outcomes were being met. The teachers had all completed 4-year training, with three having 0–4 years of teaching experience, three with 5–10 years, and three with 11 years or more. The nine participants’ lessons (n = 27 lessons) were coded by two coders using Ashworth’s (2004) Identification of Classroom Teaching-learning Styles and descriptors of teaching styles from (Cothran et al. 2005) Teaching Physical Education (Mosston and Ashworth 2002). Inter-observer reliability over the 27 lessons was 99%. The data were analysed via an SPSS version 21 command to determine the means and frequency distribution of the styles indicated within the Mosston and Ashworth (2008) Spectrum. The senior PE teachers participating in this study failed to demonstrate the use of a range of styles in their lessons, in spite of the Queensland Senior Physical Education Syllabus (2004) detailing a specific range of styles to be used. This suggests that the aims, objectives and outcomes (including higher-order thinking skills) as described in the syllabus were not being met.

Self-reported teaching styles of Australian senior physical education teachers

The main purpose of this paper was to present the findings of research completed on the reported teaching styles (based on the work of Mosston and Ashworth 2002) that 110 teachers of Queensland Senior Physical Education believed they used, and to establish how often they believed they used them. Participants included 110 secondary school physical education teachers of years 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Queensland. Data were collected using an adaption of the Kulinna et al. (Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 7(1): 25–41, 2003) and the Cothran et al. (Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 76(2) 193–201, 2005) instrument which required participants to read 11 scenarios describing the teaching styles from the Spectrum of Teaching Styles introduced by Mosstion and Ashworth above. The teachers in this study reported using a range of styles from both the reproduction and production clusters. The findings of this study indicate that numerous factors may influence teachers' reported use of teaching styles, and that further research is necessary to confirm if teachers are able to accurately report on the teaching styles they use.

Interrogating Assumptions of a Curriculum: Queensland Senior Physical Education Syllabus

This study analyzes the 2004 Queensland Physical Education (PE) Senior Syllabus to ascertain to what extent it is developing physically educated students. The 2004 QSPES is a fundamental document relevant to the teaching of PE (in Years 11 and 12 of high school) in the Australian state of Queensland. Kirk’s (1988) notion of a physically educated person being an intelligent performer guides the research and frames the discussion. The 2004 QSPES syllabus was examined via content inquiry. The 2004 QSPES included concepts such as intelligent performance and complex environments, and it suggested teaching styles to meet these concept developments. It was found that the development of physically educated students was ill-defined, contradictory, and questionable. It is likely that teachers will have trouble applying, teaching, and assessing the concept of intelligent performance.

The story of representation (or not) in contributing to the development of a school subject curriculum

This paper prompts us to consider ‘representation’ with respect to a committee structure ‘managing’ the development of the Irish senior cycle physical education framework. The paper is timely due to the national interest in the senior cycle subject development in Ireland and complements work undertaken on the development of policy in senior physical education internationally. Bernstein's [(1990). Class, Code and Control: Volume 4. The Structuring of Pedagogic Discourse. London: Routledge] construction of ‘pedagogic discourse’ and Pitkin's [(1967). The Concept of Representation. University of California Press] notion of ‘representation’ provide a framework for exploring the process by which Senior Cycle Physical Education (SCPE) was ‘managed’ by the Physical Education Course Committee. Interviews were conducted with nine stakeholders who were members of the Committee and the constant comparative method was used to analyse the interview data. The results revolved around representation of individual views in favour of representative roles, interacting within the remit of the Committee structure and activity outside of the formal meetings. A number of conclusions arise in examining the extent to which ‘representation’ provides a framework for exploring the process by which curriculum development within Irish SCPE was ‘managed’ by the appointed Committee. Such a study provides significant points for discussion for those charged with drawing together groups to advise on curriculum development.

Learning ‘in’, ‘through’ and ‘about’ movement in senior physical education? The new Victorian Certificate of Education Physical Education

Over the past decade amidst the development and implementation of new official curriculum texts and associated assessment requirements, there has been considerable international interest in senior physical education. Arnold’s three dimensions of movement have been prominent in curriculum developments and academic debates. In the state of Victoria, Australia, a new official text for the Victorian Certificate of Education Physical Education (VCEPE) was introduced in 2011. This paper re-articulates Arnold’s dimensions of movement as a framework for inquiry, centring on this development. The framework is utilised to critically examine the pedagogical intent inherent in the new VCEPE text and examine the prospective ‘slippage’ that may feature in teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the new text. Specifically, the analysis firstly draws on Arnold’s (1979) three dimensions of movement to explore ways in which different ‘ways of knowing’ in physical education have been represented in the official text, and secondly considers the prospective and potential expression of Arnold’s dimensions in teachers’ interpretation and implementation of the new text. The potential for either conservative or progressive readings of the official text is articulated.

The gendering of abilities in Senior PE

Background: Ability is a foundational concept in education. For example, one's perspective of the nature of ability influences how one conceives of the educability and achievement potential of students. However, ability has generally been under-theorised in physical education (PE), particularly in relation to gender. Moreover, default assumptions about ability have tended to draw on traditional conceptions in which ability is viewed as an inherited capacity fulfilled to a lesser or greater extent depending on the opportunities for expression. Purpose: This paper draws on a conception of ability proposed by Evans to challenge traditional conceptions and explain how the discursive conditions of PE ‘fields’ contributed to the construction of gendered abilities in Queensland Senior PE at two demographically distinct schools. Research design: Data are from semi-structured interviews with, and participant observations of, teachers and students at two secondary school sites: one, a low socioeconomic, government school and the other an ‘elite’, co-educational private school. One teacher and six year 11 students from each school, identified in three ability categories by their teachers, were interviewed at five junctures and observed weekly across 20 weeks of the school year. Data analysis: Interview and observation data were systematically coded and analysed within a post-structuralist paradigm to focus on the discursive resources that particular individuals drew on to understand others, and the social and cultural consequences, in terms of power and positioning, of this constitution for students' abilities in PE. Findings: Teachers' and students' values, beliefs and expectations operating in the PE fields of both schools established discursive conditions that gave meaning to the embodied dispositions of students in terms of gendered abilities. The teachers and students consistently perceived differences in the nature of male and female abilities in Senior PE which influenced both the access of students to sites for recognition of ability and the construction of their abilities in these contexts. Conclusion: While awareness of the potential marginalization of girls' engagement in PE has increased, the expectations and practices of social fields as well as the adherence to traditional and popular conceptions of ability may continue to have discriminatory effects on the learning and achievement potential of girls in PE.

Evidence for the social construction of ability in physical education

This paper reports on a study investigating the empirical substance of Evans' proposed social construction of ability. Data were collected through text analysis of a Senior physical education (PE) syllabus, semi-structured interviews and participant observations of students and teachers in two senior secondary school contexts (one school situated in a low socioeconomic area; and the other school, an ‘elite’ co-educational private school) across 20 weeks of the school year at key junctures in the schools' PE curriculum plans. The data and analysis support Evans' social construction of ability proposition. Students' abilities were observable as a complex construction dependent on the constitution of the field of practice and the students' possession of physical, cultural and social capital operational in and through habitus. Within this construction process high-ability students were privileged in terms of achievement possibilities while low-ability students were marginalised in terms of access to contexts in which capital may be acquired and/or displayed, resulting in their enduring low-ability identification. The findings offer an alternative perspective to prevailing notions of ability and challenge educators to reconsider how the potential of students in and beyond PE is viewed.

Student Teachers' Interactions with Students during Middle School Physical Education Game Play

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in English; abstract also in Chinese.
 Teacher/student interactions are a daily occurrence during a class period. What the teachers say, and how they say it, can affect student learning (Rink, 2002). The purpose of this study was to investigate the types of interactions student teachers had with the students during their middle school physical education game play. The subjects were two male senior physical education majors who were concluding their course work with their student teaching experience. For this study students wore a wireless microphone in order for the researcher to hear the types or interactions they had with their students during class time. It was found that these student teachers generally had positive and general interactions with students. Many of the interactions that were given usually included the word “good” or “nice” in it. It is recommended that student teachers are more specific in their interactions with students during class work.
 老師與學生的互動作用是在學校內常見的現象。老師所説的和所做的事情都能夠影響學生的學習(Rink, 2002)。這項研究的目的是調查師生之間互動作用的種類，實習教師與學生的體育遊戲活動。本研究以兩位男性體育教師為對象，了解他們與學生的互動行為。學生佩帶一個無線話筒，研究員能聽見所表現的互動行為。結果顯示實習教師與學生一般有正面的互動作用。教師時常給予互動作用的詞語有「好」，這是一種很多的師生互動。

Inclusivity and senior physical education. insights from Queensland and Western Australia

In the context of uncertainty and ongoing reform of senior secondary education in Australia, this paper addresses inclusivity in the design and implementation of senior physical education (PE) courses. Critical analysis of course developments in two states in Australia; Queensland and Western Australia, demonstrates ways in which course design, school and teacher decisions can all have wide reaching significance for students’ educational and vocational futures. Course developments in the two states are identified as pursuing inclusivity in different ways and as featuring significant flexibility in their requirements. Enactment of the embedded commitment to inclusivity and accompanying flexibility is shown to present considerable ‘scope for slippage’ from the intentions embedded in the official course texts. It is argued that curriculum developers, teachers and researchers should continue to seek to disrupt processes of generation, maintenance and transmission of inequalities within and beyond PE.

(Mis)appropriations of criteria and standards‐referenced assessment in a performance‐based subject

This paper draws on semi‐structured interview data and participant observations of senior secondary Physical Education (PE) teachers and students at two school sites across 20 weeks of the school year. The data indicated that the teachers in this study made progressive judgements about students’ level of achievement across each unit of work without explicit or overt reference to the criteria and standards represented in the schools’ work programmes and in the Senior PE syllabus. The teachers’ justification for such an approach was that the criteria and standards had become for them sufficiently ‘internalised’. Determining students’ levels of achievement was for the teachers somewhat ‘intuitive’, being reliant on their memory of students’ performances, and influenced by the construct‐irrelevant affective characteristics of the students. It is argued in this paper that such construct‐irrelevance compromised the construct validity and possible inter‐rater reliability of the decisions made and advantaged some students and marginalised others on the basis of characteristics that were not specifically related to the learning expected from following the syllabus. The potential inequities of such an approach are discussed and suggestions are made for the consolidation of the validity and reliability of teachers’ judgements.

Playing a political game and playing for position: Policy and curriculum development in health and physical education

This paper addresses prospective policy relationships between health and physical education (HPE) and contemporary education policies. It specifically explores the opportunities and challenges that contemporary education discourses present for policy and curriculum development in HPE. Contemporary education discourses of lifelong learning, learning communities, personalized learning, inclusivity and excellence are critically analysed in relation to policy and curriculum development in HPE. It is contended that these discourses present a potentially strong focus for advocacy and that their adoption may be an astute political move for HPE. Recent curriculum development in senior physical education in Western Australia is used to illustrate the scope for the discourses to be embedded in curricula and for HPE to thereby be seen to firmly connect with key education agendas.

Achieving conceptual and curriculum coherence in high-stakes school examinations in Physical Education

Background: In earlier papers, some of the teaching, learning and attainment issues encountered by Physical Education (PE) teachers and students in a high-stakes school examination, Higher Still Physical Education in Scotland, were analysed. A review of results and comparisons with Advanced Level awards in England and Board of Senior Secondary School Studies Senior Physical Education in Queensland, Australia highlights the need for further conceptual and curriculum coherence within these three awards if the quest for rich learning environments and high levels of authentic attainment is to be achieved. Purpose: The paper begins with an analysis of the conceptual and curriculum adequacy of the three awards noted, and, thereafter outlines the promise of phenomenology, as a philosophically informed approach for locating students' active practical experiences at the centre of learning and assessment in high-stakes school examinations. Suitably framed, such curriculum developments could, it is argued, complement rather than contradict current practice. Conclusions: The paper concludes with a discussion of why previous attempts to resolve conceptual coherence issues through a narrow adherence to the strictures of mind–body dualism have limited the development of policy and practice. Consequently, there is a need to ensure that greater conceptual and curriculum coherence in high-stakes school examinations is achieved, and that PE does not become unnecessarily constrained by developments in examination awards.

The effects of an integrated curriculum model on student learning and attainment

In an earlier article, we considered the pedagogy and assessment practices enacted by physical education (PE) teachers when attempting to translate a centrally prescribed rationale into meaningful performance-led teaching within an integrated curriculum - Higher Still Physical Education (HSPE) in Scotland. Through further research this article analyses the consequences of teachers’ curriculum decision-making on students’ learning and assessment experiences, and on the development of their analytical abilities. Additionally, comparison with BSSSS Senior Physical Education in Queensland, Australia, highlights discussion points for the further review of policy and practice. Specifically, both data and comparisons reveal the need for the inclusion of students’ achievement evidence in subsequent evaluations of curriculum integration and teacher effectiveness. We also discuss whether the learning imperatives underpinning school examinations in PE are achievable within the constraints and pressures revealed by our investigations.

Trainee teachers' perceptions of job advertisements in England with regard to gender and physical education

This article explores the ways in which job advertisements for physical education (PE) teachers in England perpetuate stereotypical notions of gender and how this can affect recruitment within the profession. It assesses the extent to which the 'gendered' vocabulary used in job advertisements can potentially influence the decision-making of women and men seeking secondary school PE teaching posts in England and the implications for professional practice. Discussions with 32 postgraduate trainee teachers were carried out at a teacher training institution in the south of England and focused on their perceptions of 30 job advertisements for PE teachers. The data showed that male and female trainees often felt that employment opportunities for men and women in PE were constrained by the 'gendered' vocabulary included within advertisements and therefore had some impact on their decisions when considering whether to apply for particular posts. Given the dominance of sex-differentiated patterns of staffing within PE in the United Kingdom, the study raises questions related to employment rights of women and men and assesses the extent to which vocabulary can deter or prevent potential applicants from applying for particular teaching posts based on their sex. Likewise, this study considers whether PE job advertisements, particularly for senior PE management positions, can be justified on the grounds of sex within the framework of equal opportunities.