Background/Purpose An after-school sport education basketball season was conducted for a local middle school. The study described teacher and student behaviors as they varied as a function of season phases.
Method Subjects included 20 boys who intended to try out for the school's team later that fall. The teacher was a doctoral student in the university conducting the study. Four teams were established based on a skills combine. The season included preseason, regular season, and tournament phases. The sessions were video taped and analyzed using the research protocol of the WVU Teaching Evaluation System. Interobserver Agreement exceeded 85%.
Analysis/Results The data were graphically analyzed using standard ABA conventions. Results for teacher behavior included: 1) feedback-related behaviors, including specific observation and positive feedback, increased in both rate and percent through the preseason, then generated the highest, stable levels during regular season and tournament play; 2) positive and corrective feedback comprised equivalent levels during preseason, but then diverged during regular season and tournament play where positive predominated; 3) verbal and modeling were the predominant forms of instruction, though verbal diminished during tournament play. Results for student behavior included: 1) ALT-PE increased steadily over the entire season and was highest during tournament play at approximately 40%; 2) waiting was highest during regular season and tournament play.
Conclusions An after-school sport education season for middle school students can provide practice opportunities which exhibit pedagogically sound behavioral characteristics. Each phase of the season provides its own unique opportunities for instructionally relevant behaviors for both teachers and students.