What Actually Differs between Traditional Teaching and Sport Education in Students' Learning Outcomes? A Critical Systematic Review.

This systematic review aimed to examine the main findings concerning to the investigations focused on compare, within Physical Education context, the influence of Sport Education (SE) and Traditional Teaching (TT) on students' learning outcomes. A literature search was conducted on nine electronic databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC, Education Source, APA PsycINFO and APA PsycARTICLES). Inclusion criteria were defined before the selection process. Accordingly, were only included articles that (i) were published in peer-reviewed international journals indexed in Journal Citation Reports or Scientific Journal Rankings; (ii) were available in full-text; (iii) were published in English, Portuguese or Spanish; (iv) were performed within Physical Education context; and (v) provided specifically a comparison between the effects of SE and TT on students' learning outcomes. Globally, twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The manuscripts' methodological quality was assessed through Downs and Black checklist, with all studies displaying moderate quality. Results showed that comparisons among SE and TT tend to analyze team sports activities sampling high-school students via quasi-experimental designs, with more than half of them were published over the past five years. Also, these investigations typically focused on the differences between both models on the development of personal and social skills, as well as its impact on the motor and cognitive domains. In this respect, although the results tend to point out increases in both SE and TT, superior values are achieved when SE is implemented. The analysis of the teaching-learning process using alternative research methods and designs (i.e., experimental studies, qualitative data, longitudinal analysis, action-research and case studies), longer units with appropriate planning, and the report of model's fidelity so that robust findings can endorse the teachers' praxis, must be a concern in future studies.

Increasing tactical complexity to enhance the synchronisation of collective behaviours: An action-research study throughout a competitive volleyball season.

An Action-Research (AR) design was implemented throughout a competitive season in which Constraint-led and Step-Game approaches were combined. This intervention study investigated the impact of increased performance complexity on emergence of counterattacking synchronisation tendencies in team players (laterally and longitudinally on court) at different set moments. Fifteen youth volleyball team players were studied across three action-research cycles, with performance in one competitive match analysed per cycle. Team synchronisation tendencies were assessed using the cluster phase method, with a 3 (matches) x 2 (set moments) x 2 (court direction) repeated-measures ANOVA statistical procedure to calculate differences in cluster amplitude mean values. Results revealed a reduction in team synchrony levels when tactical complexity of counterattacking play increased (second AR-cycle). Nevertheless, similar levels of team synchrony emerged between the first and third AR-cycles. Results also revealed the final moments of a set as a significant environmental constraint that shaped synchronisation tendencies. Evidence suggested that the (re)achievement of functional synchrony was realised through integration of Constraint-led and Step-Game approaches during practices designed to enhance tactical awareness in players. Finally, an insider action-research design provided relevant contextualised insights on the development of a team's synchronisation tendencies.

Psychometric Validation of the Tactical Assessment Instrument in Football for Use in Physical Education and with Youth Sport Teams.

Recently, the Tactical Assessment Instrument in Football (TAIS) was developed to address football's tactical requirements in terms of game phases, learners' roles, and organizational levels of play. In this study, we sought to evaluate the psychometric properties of this existing instrument in the Physical Education (PE) context and for youth sport teams (ages 8-12 years). Our research design involved: (a) participants playing 37 football games, (b) assessing participants via observation with the TAIS and (c) conducting psychometric analysis on the obtained assessment data. For the psychometric analysis, we carried out our work in four phases: (a) a statistical analysis of the evaluation criteria, (b) analysis of the instrument's structural dimensions, (c) internal item reliability analysis, and (d) provision of evidence for external validity. Participants were 592 children (156 girls, 436 boys; ages 8-12 years) from 74 PE classes or sport teams (from three institutional contexts - schools, community-based sports, and sports clubs) in Spain. We selected 12 tactical criteria and grouped them into four theoretical dimensions (appropriate attack, inappropriate attack, appropriate defense, inappropriate defense) to confirm the instrument's structural dimensions. The Cronbach alpha and Omega McDonald coefficients were greater than .70. The TAIS discriminated between participants from the three institutional contexts, offering evidence of the instrument's external validity. Thus, the TAIS now has sufficient psychometric support for assessing learning of football tactics in PE and youth sport teams. This instrument facilitates an ecological assessment of youth players' understanding of football tactics through four theoretical tactical dimensions and 12 criteria involving information about four learners' roles (both attack and defense, on- and off-the-ball) and three organizational tactical levels of play (whole team, small groups of learners, and individual learners).

An exploration of context and learning in endurance sports coaching.

Introduction: This study explored contextual factors which influence coach learning of an international cohort of endurance sports coaches. Methods: Following ethical approval, 839 coaches, 612 coached athletes and 8,352 non-coached athletes participated in the research. A critical realist research philosophy was adopted, in which self-completion surveys were developed in consultation with coaches and industry end-users. Results and Discussion: The context was dominated by remote coaching practices and digital technology which shaped how coaches learn and thus, what it meant to be a coach. Unmediated learning sources were biophysically biased and largely delivered through marketised platforms designed to sell products. The study findings have broader implications within sport and education, in which it is suggested that remote coaching and learning platforms may sometimes create a sense of psycho-emotional detachment in which capacity for learning can be limited.

Adolescents with Higher Cognitive and Affective Domains of Physical Literacy Possess Better Physical Fitness: The Importance of Developing the Concept of Physical Literacy in High Schools.

Physical literacy (PL) is thought to facilitate engagement in physical activity, which could lead to better physical fitness (PF). The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of the Croatian version of two frequently applied PL questionnaires that evaluate knowledge and understanding, perceived competence, environment, and value for literacy, numeracy, and PL and validity regarding correlation with objectively evaluated PF in adolescents. Five hundred forty-four high school students (403 females, 141 males) from Croatia were tested on PF (standing long jump, sit-ups for 30 s, sit-and-reach test, multilevel endurance test) and two PL questionnaires. The reliability of the Croatian version of the Canadian Assessment of Physical Literacy knowledge and understanding (CAPL-2-KU) and PLAYself was good (α = 0.71−0.81 for PLAYself subscales, κ = 0.39−0.69 for CAPL-2-KU). Genders differed in the self-description dimension of PLAYself, with higher results in boys (Z = 3.72, p < 0.001). CAPL-2-KU and PLAYself total score were associated with PF in boys and girls, with PLAYself having stronger associations with PF. This research supports the idea of PL as an essential determinant for the development of PF, highlighting the necessity of the development of cognitive and affective domains of PL in physical education throughout a specifically tailored pedagogical process.

Effectiveness of Teaching Mini Handball through Non-Linear Pedagogy in Different Socioeconomic Contexts: A Pilot Study.

Mini handball is among the sports included as part of school physical education in Chile to improve children's motor skills and to motivate their adherence to a healthy and active lifestyle in response to concerns about this country's high level of childhood obesity. To this end, non-linear pedagogy (NLP) has been used to develop motor skills through mini handball in the school context. However, socioeconomic differences that influence the development of children's motor skills have not been considered to determine whether the methodology applies to everyone. The aim of the present observational study is to describe and compare the effectiveness of the previously applied NLP methodology in two contrasting socioeconomic contexts to determine whether it helps to develop motor skills through mini handball in both school contexts. The Levine test was used to determine the homogeneity of the variances (p < 0.05), as the distribution of the data was not normal. The Kruskal-Wallis H statistical test was used to analyse within-group data. Additionally, the Mann-Whitney U test was applied for comparisons between groups. The results show significant improvements in the acquisition of the expected motor skills specific to mini handball. Additionally, a shortening of the gap was evidenced between the groups during the training process, with no significant differences at the end of the progression. Therefore, the investigated NLP is equally as effective for schoolchildren in two opposite socioeconomic contexts.

A Systematic Review of Teaching Games for Understanding Intervention Studies From a Practice-Referenced Perspective.

According to the theory of practice architecture, every practice enacted in classrooms is a result of interaction between social, physical and spatial elements. In relation, from a practice-referenced perspective, it is necessary to know which teaching-learning implementation features could help teachers/coaches/researchers to assemble Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) interventions in relation to the institutional environment. Purpose: This review aimed to explore from a practice-referenced perspective how TGfU researchers reported their interventions based on the teaching-learning implementation features (intervention design as a function of the context, intervention length, lesson content, basic lesson elements, lesson alignment, teacher/coach experience with the approach, and lesson validation and treatment verification) and their association with learners' outcomes. Results: We found 20 studies that included some of the teaching-learning implementation features, but none of the studies included all of these features. We also found that studies of TGfU measured and reported learners' outcomes in a variety of ways. This creates difficulties for drawing conclusions about the relationships between the presence of teaching-learning implementation features and student learning outcomes. Conclusion: Further TGfU interventions should be planned to consider the following: (a) that lessons need to be designed as a function of the context; (b) the number of intervention lessons, their duration and the duration of each lesson task; (c) the concrete tactical and technique contents and goals per lesson; (d) the modified games, questions and achievable challenges as basic lesson elements; (e) the alignment between the basic lesson elements and the structure of lessons, based on the goals of each lesson; (f) that teachers/coaches need to have previous experience in TGfU and be trained on the specific study purpose; (g) that lessons should be validated before implementation and verified during intervention; (h) researchers should regulate the ways in which learners' outcomes are measured and reported within TGfU studies.

Design and Validation of the Tactical Assessment Instrument in Football (TAIS).

The focus on tactics has made assessment more difficult due to the lack of knowledge in the topic and the limitations of current tactical assessment instruments. Purpose: To design and validate a tactical assessment instrument in youth football (TAIS) following an exhaustive, ecological and meticulous process and dealing with the limitations found in the literature. Method: The design was divided in two stages related to its development and validation. During the development stage: (a) a preliminary list of criteria was determined through a literature review; (b) the criteria were delimited through an exploratory observation; and (c) the adequacy of the criteria was determined by consulting experts. In the validation stage: (a) content and comprehension validity were obtained by consulting experts and through a systematic game observation; (b) construct validity was obtained by comparing the tactical outcomes from two groups with different skill levels; (c) criterion validity was established by comparing the tactical outcome using Game Performance Assessment Instrument and the present instrument, and (d) the reliability was obtained through inter-rater reliability. Results: The research process showed that the instrument is a valid and reliable tool comprised of 22 criteria to assess tactical outcomes in 8-12 years old youth football. Conclusion: The TAIS presents several advantages in practical terms with respect to assessment. First, it allows assessment of the three tactical levels nested in the unit of observation. Second, it considers all the player roles. Third, results are presented without general indexes. Fourth, it can be used to assess participants from all the institutional contexts. Finally, it includes contextual variables.

How can team synchronisation tendencies be developed combining Constraint-led and Step-game approaches? An action-research study implemented over a competitive volleyball season.

Combining Constraint-led (ecological) and Step-Game (constructivist) approaches through an Action-Research (AR) design conducted throughout a competitive volleyball season, this study aimed to: (i) analyse the impact of increased tactical complexity on lateral and longitudinal collective Synchronisation Tendencies (ST) during defensive and offensive counterattack-subphases, and (ii) examine how opposition attacking contexts (i.e. playing in full-system or in-system) might influence ST throughout each counterattack-subphase. Performance of a youth team, comprised of 15 players, was studied across three AR-cycles. The team's competitive performance was analysed through three competitive matches (one per cycle). Team ST were evaluated using the cluster-phase method and a 3 (matches) × 2 (counterattack-subphases) × 2 (opposition attacking contexts) × 2 (court directions) repeated-measures ANOVA were used to calculate the differences in cluster-amplitude mean values. Results showed that increments in tactical complexity (second AR-cycle) were followed by decreases in collective ST, which were (re)achieved during the third AR-cycle, possibly due to the ecological-constructivist coaching intervention. Our findings imply that coaches could design representative and specific-didactical learning environments, predicated on a team's tactical needs and strategical ideas from a game-plan, framing player intentionality. Results also support the use of questioning strategies to narrow players' attentional focus, stimulating perceptual attunement to relevant constraints emerging in performance. Finally, the insider AR-design provided valuable contextualised insights on coaching interventions for developing collective coordinative structures.

Methodological reflections on artistically illustrating ethnographic text from a study of sport pedagogy in youth detention: Ethics, affect, and description.

While there is a burgeoning body of literature on visual methods in ethnography, including drawing and illustration as method for collecting and exploring data, little has been written about how artistic illustrations can be used as a representational method for finished ethnographic texts. Based on an illustrated ethnography-a PhD thesis on sport pedagogy in youth detention-this paper explores what artistic illustrations can do for representations of ethnographic texts. An important starting point of the paper is that artistic illustrations are purpose-full-they can be used strategically to highlight some details over others, thus making it possible for researchers to selectively accomplish several aims when it comes to representation. Particularly, we focus on ethical, affective, and descriptive purposes for using artistic illustrations when publishing research on sport in total institutions. We present selected illustrations from the thesis together with analytical and procedural commentary to shed light on some strategic thinking behind the production of the illustrations. Finally, we conclude with some reflections on the methodology and discuss some further considerations for illustrating ethnographic texts in terms of benefits, risks, and possibilities.