By Sam Richardson
Postgraduate Researcher (PhD student) at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Sports Coach.
Email: s.j.richardson@2018.ljmu.ac.uk
Twitter: @SamRichardson77
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sam-richardson-b44051118
Postgraduate Researcher (PhD student) at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Sports Coach.
Email: s.j.richardson@2018.ljmu.ac.uk
Twitter: @SamRichardson77
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sam-richardson-b44051118
Since the inception of Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) in 1982 (Bunker and Thorpe, 1982), we have witnessed an increase of game-based approaches (GBAs) and now have a myriad of GBAs available for sports practitioners to apply in their practice. Out of all the various GBAs available, TGfU is one of the most well-known and researched – just a simple search of TGfU displays numerous papers that have been published since its inception to the present year. Within the GBA literature, the challenges and difficulties sports practitioners experience with TGfU have been explored and acknowledged, however these challenges and difficulties are not only associated to those practitioners applying TGfU; other GBAs (e.g. Game Sense) have also been found to present difficulties and challenges to sports practitioners as well.
To try and support sports practitioners with GBAs, resources (see Breed and Spittle, 2011; Mitchell, Oslin, and Griffin, 2013) that have included practical examples and guidelines have been published. While these resources have been a welcome addition to the GBA literature, there is a dearth of research evidence to confirm the effectiveness of these resources in supporting sports practitioners with their GBA knowledge or practice. Along with the GBA resources, action research, case study, and self-reflective methodologies have been applied in GBA research (see Evans and Light, 2008; Gubacs-Collins, 2007; Harvey, Cushion, and Massa-Gonzalez, 2010; Pill, 2016; Thomas, Morgan and Mesquita, 2013) to explore the challenges sports practitioners experience with GBAs and how they can be supported with their GBA pedagogy. Although action research methodology has been regarded as a particularly beneficial methodology in supporting sport practitioners with their GBA practice (see Evans and Light, 2008; Gubacs-Collins, 2007; Pill, 2016), further research exploring the effectiveness of this methodology and other novel approaches are required if we are to further develop approaches and resources which are effective in supporting sport practitioners with their GBA pedagogy and knowledge.
Considering the inception of TGfU was in 1982, we are still witnessing, hearing and reading about the difficulties and challenges many sports coaches and teachers are experiencing with this GBA. Perhaps it is time to consider what alternative approaches can also be applied in an attempt to support sports practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy. By expanding on the current GBA research, my research will use a multidisciplinary and pedagogical cases (Armour, 2017) approach to design a TGfU resource for sports practitioners. By working with a range of sport coaches and teachers who are coaching and teaching sports across the four games categories and within different contexts, the research will aim to support these practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy through applying an action research methodology, and by analysing their knowledge, perceptions and application of TGfU by administering a SWOT analysis and a multidisciplinary approach throughout the course of the intervention. As part of the research, each sports practitioner will also be assigned one of the four TGfU pedagogical principles to enable further analysis of how each practitioner understands, plans and applies the pedagogical principles in their practice.
The purpose of the research is not only to identify the difficulties and challenges sports practitioners are experiencing with TGfU and how they can be supported with their TGfU practice, but also to analyse how each practitioner is applying TGfU and how their current coaching and teaching practice and pedagogical skills are contributing or could contribute towards supporting their TGfU practice. Administering a multidisciplinary approach to analyse the data will provide multidisciplinary perspectives on the practitioner’s knowledge, perceptions, and application of TGfU and how this is supporting or hindering their TGfU practice. Furthermore, it will enable recommendations from a multidisciplinary perspective to be put forward and applied in practice in an attempt to support the practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy.
Data obtained from the sports practitioners and the multidisciplinary analysis will help form the pedagogical cases that will form part of the TGfU resource. To disseminate and analyse the resource, social media platforms will be used and comments, emojis, and likes/dislikes along with some follow up interviews will be analysed to evaluate the TGfU resource. Overall, it is hoped that by expanding on the current GBA research and through applying a multidisciplinary and pedagogical cases approach to design a TGfU resource for sport practitioners, an alternative and effective approach can be provided for how sports practitioners can be supported with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy.
If you would like to know more about this research or would potentially be interested in being involved, please contact me on either of the contact details listed above.
References
Armour, K.M. (2017) Pedagogical cases: A new translational mechanism to bridge theory/research practice gaps in youth physical activity education (PAE). Kinesiology Review, 6 (1), 42-50.
Breed, R. and Spittle, M. (2011) Developing game sense through tactical learning: a resource for teachers and coaches. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Bunker, D. and Thorpe, R. (1982) A model for the teaching of games in secondary schools. Bulletin of Physical Education, 18 (1), 5-8.
Evans, J.R. and Light, R.L. (2008) Coach development through collaborative action research: A rugby coach’s implementation of Game Sense pedagogy. Asian Journal of Exercise & Sports Science, 5 (1), 31-37.
Gubacs-Collins, K. (2007) Implementing a tactical approach through action research. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 12 (2), 105-126.
Harvey, S., Cushion, C.J. and Massa-Gonzalez, A.N. (2010) Learning a new method: Teaching Games for Understanding in the coaches’ eyes. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 15 (4), 361-382.
Mitchell, S.A., Oslin, J.L. and Griffin, L.L. (2013) Teaching sport concepts and skills: A tactical games approach for ages 7 to 18. 3rd ed. USA: Human Kinetics.
Pill, S. (2016) Implementing Game Sense coaching approach in Australian football through action-research. Agora Para La Educacion Fisica Y El Deporte, 18, 1-19.
Thomas, G., Morgan, K. and Mesquita, I. (2013) Examining the implementation of a Teaching Games for Understanding approach in junior rugby using a reflective practice design. Sports Coaching Review, 2 (1), 49-60.
To try and support sports practitioners with GBAs, resources (see Breed and Spittle, 2011; Mitchell, Oslin, and Griffin, 2013) that have included practical examples and guidelines have been published. While these resources have been a welcome addition to the GBA literature, there is a dearth of research evidence to confirm the effectiveness of these resources in supporting sports practitioners with their GBA knowledge or practice. Along with the GBA resources, action research, case study, and self-reflective methodologies have been applied in GBA research (see Evans and Light, 2008; Gubacs-Collins, 2007; Harvey, Cushion, and Massa-Gonzalez, 2010; Pill, 2016; Thomas, Morgan and Mesquita, 2013) to explore the challenges sports practitioners experience with GBAs and how they can be supported with their GBA pedagogy. Although action research methodology has been regarded as a particularly beneficial methodology in supporting sport practitioners with their GBA practice (see Evans and Light, 2008; Gubacs-Collins, 2007; Pill, 2016), further research exploring the effectiveness of this methodology and other novel approaches are required if we are to further develop approaches and resources which are effective in supporting sport practitioners with their GBA pedagogy and knowledge.
Considering the inception of TGfU was in 1982, we are still witnessing, hearing and reading about the difficulties and challenges many sports coaches and teachers are experiencing with this GBA. Perhaps it is time to consider what alternative approaches can also be applied in an attempt to support sports practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy. By expanding on the current GBA research, my research will use a multidisciplinary and pedagogical cases (Armour, 2017) approach to design a TGfU resource for sports practitioners. By working with a range of sport coaches and teachers who are coaching and teaching sports across the four games categories and within different contexts, the research will aim to support these practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy through applying an action research methodology, and by analysing their knowledge, perceptions and application of TGfU by administering a SWOT analysis and a multidisciplinary approach throughout the course of the intervention. As part of the research, each sports practitioner will also be assigned one of the four TGfU pedagogical principles to enable further analysis of how each practitioner understands, plans and applies the pedagogical principles in their practice.
The purpose of the research is not only to identify the difficulties and challenges sports practitioners are experiencing with TGfU and how they can be supported with their TGfU practice, but also to analyse how each practitioner is applying TGfU and how their current coaching and teaching practice and pedagogical skills are contributing or could contribute towards supporting their TGfU practice. Administering a multidisciplinary approach to analyse the data will provide multidisciplinary perspectives on the practitioner’s knowledge, perceptions, and application of TGfU and how this is supporting or hindering their TGfU practice. Furthermore, it will enable recommendations from a multidisciplinary perspective to be put forward and applied in practice in an attempt to support the practitioners with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy.
Data obtained from the sports practitioners and the multidisciplinary analysis will help form the pedagogical cases that will form part of the TGfU resource. To disseminate and analyse the resource, social media platforms will be used and comments, emojis, and likes/dislikes along with some follow up interviews will be analysed to evaluate the TGfU resource. Overall, it is hoped that by expanding on the current GBA research and through applying a multidisciplinary and pedagogical cases approach to design a TGfU resource for sport practitioners, an alternative and effective approach can be provided for how sports practitioners can be supported with their TGfU knowledge and pedagogy.
If you would like to know more about this research or would potentially be interested in being involved, please contact me on either of the contact details listed above.
References
Armour, K.M. (2017) Pedagogical cases: A new translational mechanism to bridge theory/research practice gaps in youth physical activity education (PAE). Kinesiology Review, 6 (1), 42-50.
Breed, R. and Spittle, M. (2011) Developing game sense through tactical learning: a resource for teachers and coaches. Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.
Bunker, D. and Thorpe, R. (1982) A model for the teaching of games in secondary schools. Bulletin of Physical Education, 18 (1), 5-8.
Evans, J.R. and Light, R.L. (2008) Coach development through collaborative action research: A rugby coach’s implementation of Game Sense pedagogy. Asian Journal of Exercise & Sports Science, 5 (1), 31-37.
Gubacs-Collins, K. (2007) Implementing a tactical approach through action research. Physical Education & Sport Pedagogy, 12 (2), 105-126.
Harvey, S., Cushion, C.J. and Massa-Gonzalez, A.N. (2010) Learning a new method: Teaching Games for Understanding in the coaches’ eyes. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 15 (4), 361-382.
Mitchell, S.A., Oslin, J.L. and Griffin, L.L. (2013) Teaching sport concepts and skills: A tactical games approach for ages 7 to 18. 3rd ed. USA: Human Kinetics.
Pill, S. (2016) Implementing Game Sense coaching approach in Australian football through action-research. Agora Para La Educacion Fisica Y El Deporte, 18, 1-19.
Thomas, G., Morgan, K. and Mesquita, I. (2013) Examining the implementation of a Teaching Games for Understanding approach in junior rugby using a reflective practice design. Sports Coaching Review, 2 (1), 49-60.
