Abstract

Game Based Approaches (GBA) are widely recognized as student-centered and inquiry-based approaches to games teaching and coaching that can promote individual engagement and team learning. As approaches that sit upon constructivist epistemologies, GBAs promote holistic learning by emphasizing learner reflection, complexity thinking and social interaction. Since the first publication on Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) by Bunker and Thorpe (1982), a growing number of GBA variations have been suggested, sharing similar ideas about game teaching and coaching. However, until today researchers find the implementation of GBAs more challenging than what they would expect. Based on this assertion, the aim of this pilot study was to explore the extent of the use of GBAs in different countries across the world.
After a call from the TGfU SIG Executive Board, twelve GBA experts, and members of the TGfU SIG International Advisory Board (IAB), participated in the study. Each expert was representing a different country (Argentina, Australia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, USA). Participants were asked to complete a self-reflective SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), to examine key structural and contextual aspects of GBA. Participants were free to identify the topics that they thought were inherent in their country-specific applications of GBAs (e.g., PE teaching, sport coaching, teacher/coach education and professional development), and critically reflect on them afterwards. Data were cross analyzed based on the debriefing of the commonalities that were identified across the different topics. A thematic analysis was used to construct themes that would represent a common view of participants’ entries per SWOT component.
Results indicated that experts approached the SWOT analysis in a similar manner, focusing on topics such as PE teaching and sport coaching, tertiary courses, and professional development programs. The thematic analysis indicated the following themes per SWOT component: academic recognition and pedagogical value (Strengths), theory-practice disconnections and surface pedagogies (Weaknesses), community advocacy and professional networking (Opportunities), narrow mindedness and rigid mentalities (Threats).
Results support findings raised in previous research examining the development and dissemination of GBAs. Using Bourdieu’s concepts of field (GBAs as a discrete field), and doxa (shared opinions and beliefs that bind experts together) as a heuristic to interpret our findings, we understand that our participants’ perceptions of the value and logic of GBAs was obtained more through their shared academic affiliation with GBAs and less via their espoused GBA variant. We thus advocate for the adoption of a shared framework to GBA use, as modified game-practice that sets the base for developing thoughtful, creative, intelligent, and skillful players.

Keywords: physical education, sport, game-based learning, doxa