Background/Purpose
Noted scholars in physical education have proposed the value of having students design their own games. Using constructionist theory as a base, the purpose of this study was to extend our understanding of how students develop game appreciation by having them not only design striking- fielding games, but also designing and constructing the equipment used in those games.
Method
48 fifth-grade students became members of 14 construction teams. Following a week of game play (in which there was no explicit tactical instruction), students were presented with a game template and asked to create a new game. They were also informed they had to design and construct their own equipment.
Data sources included lesson observations, game forms developed by students and interviews. Inductive analytic techniques were used.
Analysis/Results
Key themes developed included: girls spent more time planning, while boys played immediately; girls were more likely to change their game continuously; high-skilled boys were both planners and doers, while low-skilled boys tried to be doers, but could not; lower-skilled students understood their limitations, but didn't have full comprehension of what it takes to make a game with the skills they had; higher-skilled boys could detect issues with their game without playing it, but were more defensive less likely to change it based upon the comments of others.
Conclusions
While game appreciation was highly tied to skill level, all students were able to identify salient features of tactical understanding, both with regards to constitutive rules and how equipment affects rules and tactics.