Background/Purpose
While participation in physical education (PE) classes is available to significant number of students in higher education, little research has been conducted that examines pedagogical practices in these courses. The purpose of this study was to examine how a cohort of college students experienced a 16-week class of futsal (official name of indoor soccer), organized around the principles of Sport Education. In addition, the students contributed to a wiki that was designed to optimize their learning.
Method
Twenty-six college students (19M, 7 F) completed a five-point liker-type scale that sought their perceptions with regards to their skill level before/after the season, their rules understanding before/after the season, and their preference regarding traditional or Sport Education-based PE. Nine of these students also participated in post-course interviews.
Analysis/Results
A paired t-test analysis was conducted and results reported that all three analyses reached statistical significance. That is, after the season, students felt more skilled (t=-5.329, p=.000), more knowledgeable about game's rules (t=-6.496, p=.000) and preferred the Sport Education approach (t=-5.434, p=.000). Five themes were generated from the interviews: students perceived Sport Education as more serious than traditional PE; team affiliation played an important role; students enjoyed learning by observing peers during officiating roles; students enjoyed making/using the wiki; and students felt it is important to have a knowledgeable instructor.
Conclusions
These findings reinforce the utility of including Sport Education as an appropriate pedagogy for higher education PE. In particular, Sport Education was considered as highly motivating and able to optimized students' understanding.
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