WALLHEAD, T. & O’SULLIVAN, M. (2005). SPORT EDUCATION: PHYSICAL EDUCATION

FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM? PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND SPORT PEDAGOGY, 10 (2),

181-210.

Kathleen Wack and David Robertson

Type of, purpose of study/paper, theoretical framework/background

• Review of Literature—synthesize the knowledge base• Establish what is known about the effect Sport Education

(SE) curriculum model concerning student learning in physical education

• 62 peer-reviewed journal articles• Theoretical/application (Implementing SE) (n=34)• Data-based empirical (Facilitating student learning)

(n=28)• Play Theory (‘Sport Education was developed as a logical

extension and concrete form of play education.’ Siendentop

Background and significance of study…what did it report to add?

• Sport could be viewed as a subject matter in physical education

• Concern over pedagogical approaches—content was decontextualized from the associated sport culture

• Fix it—sport in physical education to be both educationally rich and contextualized within the understandings of contemporary sport culture.

Methods/Analysis• Peer-reviewed journal articles (1982-2004)• Focus was on impact of SE on student learning• Findings arranged by the 5-Big Aims of

Physical Education (motor skill development, knowledge and understanding, fitness, social development, and values and attitudes)

Findings/Main arguments• Motor Skill Development—Little empirical evidence—

mostly teacher anecdotal—that skill is enhanced through SE

• Tactical Knowledge and Performance—Little empirical evidence—mostly teacher anecdotal—that tactical knowledge and performance is enhanced through SE

• Fitness—Maybe an elusive outcome of the curriculum—Around 50% each of elementary and high school physical education teachers believed fitness was achieved through SE

Findings/Main Argument Continued

• Personal/Social Development—Research supports the role SE plays in student’s personal and social development but some studies have shown that competition elicits negative social behaviors for some students

• Student Attitudes—Envisioned enthusiasm as well as team affiliation and decision making responsibility—SE changed the way students socialized

• Values—Potential as a change agent concerning gender-equality

Conclusions/implications for practice and/or future research

• SE promotes peer-assisted learning tasks, responsibility in coaching and managing peers, serves to intrinsically motivate students to engage within curricular tasks

• Embed students’ social agenda within instructional and managerial task systems

• Provide inherent accountability system

Future Research

• Need to study promotion of physical activity outside of physical education class

• Skill development research to validate • Student leadership skills has become problematic

—cannot diminish the student social system• Use didactics methodology to focus on

instructional task system and qualitative examination of content to be taught and learned

What We Learned

• A curriculum model that can be used in a physical education setting that can benefit students in the 5-Big Aims of physical education

• Evidence-based curriculum model • Look at authors and types of studies with a

critical eye

Questions?

• If left alone what could happen to SE? Could it turn into something such as elite sport?