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A Global Litmus Test of Games Based Teaching and Coaching

Dania, Aspasia, Koekoek, Jeroen, Griffin, Linda, Gambles, Ellen-Alyssa, Pill, Shane, Suzuki, Naoki, Varela, Nahuel, König, Stefan, Kearney, Philip, Sgrò, Francesco, Lee, Han Joo, Farias, Claudio and Arias-Estero, José L. (2023) A Global Litmus Test of Games Based Teaching and Coaching. In: AIESEP International Conference, 4-7 Jul 2023, Santiago de Chile. (Unpublished)

Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (Lecture)

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

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More Information

Depositing User: Ellen Gambles

Identifiers

Item ID: 17431
URI: http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/id/eprint/17431
Official URL: https://aiesep.org/2023-aiesep-international-confe...

Users with ORCIDS

ORCID for Aspasia Dania: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2829-0479
ORCID for Jeroen Koekoek: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8086-0251
ORCID for Linda Griffin: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2573-680X
ORCID for Ellen-Alyssa Gambles: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5931-136X
ORCID for Shane Pill: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3970-6724
ORCID for Stefan König: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7851-1973
ORCID for Philip Kearney: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3425-663X
ORCID for Francesco Sgrò: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2062-4908
ORCID for Han Joo Lee: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0085-8467
ORCID for José L. Arias-Estero: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6201-4710

Catalogue record

Date Deposited: 13 Mar 2024 09:19
Last Modified: 13 Mar 2024 09:19

Contributors

Author: Aspasia Dania ORCID iD
Author: Jeroen Koekoek ORCID iD
Author: Linda Griffin ORCID iD
Author: Ellen-Alyssa Gambles ORCID iD
Author: Shane Pill ORCID iD
Author: Stefan König ORCID iD
Author: Philip Kearney ORCID iD
Author: Francesco Sgrò ORCID iD
Author: Han Joo Lee ORCID iD
Author: José L. Arias-Estero ORCID iD
Author: Naoki Suzuki
Author: Nahuel Varela
Author: Claudio Farias

University Divisions

Faculty of Education and Society > School of Education

Subjects

Sciences > Sport Sciences
Education

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