What's Happening in Germany?

What's Happening in Germany

Project: Humboldt University Berlin- Tanja Hackenbroich and Steffen Greve

When Gender Constructions Are at Play – Developing and Expanding Gender Competence among Students through a Game-Based Approach Using the Example of Soccer

In the context of (sport) games, the category of gender holds particular significance in physical education. Games often reinforce gender stereotypes regarding performance, effort, and competitiveness, resulting in unequal participation—especially disadvantaging girls. To counteract these dynamics, games must be designed in a gender-sensitive manner. While German PE traditionally follows a technical approach, the game-based approach (Breed et al., 2024) emphasizes student-centered, modified games that foster reflection and problem-solving. Research suggests that this approach can promote inclusive learning environments and contribute to gender equity (Farias et al., 2017; López-Lemus et al., 2023). This study evaluates Galleski and Hoven’s (2025) gender-sensitive football teaching concept, which integrates practice, play, and reflection phases using “provocation rules” to stimulate awareness and behavioral change. The evaluation investigates how this design fosters students’ gender competence by enhancing reflection on equality and participation in heterogeneous teams, thereby enriching inclusive physical education.

Workshop on the 26. National Congress of the German Association for Sports Science (September, 20th – 22nd, 2023) - Website: www.dvs2023.de

Teaching Games for Understanding – An Unattended Approach in the German-speaking Sport Pedagogy?
Steffen Greve [1], Stefan König [2] & Henrike Diekhoff [1]

[1]Leuphana Universität Lüneburg,
[2] Pädagogische Hochschule Weingarten

Workshop: TGfU–forty years of learner and game orientation for a better practice

As part of the 12. dvs Sportspiel-Symposium (12th sports game symposium) of the German Association for Sports Science in Lüneburg from September 22–24, 2022 a work group with the title “TGfU–forty years of learner and game orientation for a better practice” was offered. The chair was held by Stefan König (Weingarten), Steffen Greve (Lüneburg), Jörg Baumberger and Simon Bislin (St. Gallen, Switzerland). After a short prolog by König about the IAB activities and the recently adopted consensus statement a working group from Lüneburg (Diekhoff, Greve, Süßenbach) made a presentation on “Soccer in primary schools: Synergies of TGfU and digitally supported learning processes”; their main emphasis was on supporting the teaching of tactics by implementing tablets to classes. Second, Jeroen Koekoek and Witse Walinga (Windesheim, NL) made a presentation on “Incorporating a game-based pedagogy: Designing rich learning environments”. The focus of the two authors from the Netherlands was on creating game situations, which support students learning activities; if games fulfill this criterion, they are called “rich” in their approach. Finally, Ünal and König (Weingarten) gave a presentation on “Teaching tactical competencies in high performance adolescence soccer implementing TGfU strategies and principles”. The core of this presentation was to offer a method for improving tactical behaviour with the aim of keeping step with other nations in adolescence soccer. As a last point Steffen Greve informed about the upcoming webinars of the TGfU IAB within a short epilogue.

New Project on TGfU in Germany
Video-based TGfU in Elementary Schools at the Start

In her dissertation project Henrike Diekhoff works with Prof. Dr. Jessica Süßenbach and Dr. Steffen Greve on developing a video-based concept of teaching games in elementary school using the method of TGfU.

The concept consists of two lessons in media education and six to eight PE lessons for fourth graders in Germany, i. e. the students are 9 to 10 years old. In the PE lessons the students will play various football games implementing small-sided-games and using the method of TGfU while filming and tagging each other with an app. The tagging generates short videos, which are approximately 8 seconds long. After a set time the team comes together to watch and discuss certain tagged scenes and reflect the past game.

The study will be conducted in four elementary schools in August 2021. The goal is to examine the students’ perception of video-based reflection regarding their tactical understanding and whether this approach is an effective possibility of facilitating the game learning process. Furthermore, there is an interest in the students’ and PE teachers’ experience with a digital game learning and teaching approach. Interviews with students and PE teachers will be conducted for the research interests stated above. Due to the explorative character of the study data will be analysed with qualitative methods. Data collection and analysis will be carried out on the basis of the Grounded Theory methodology. After the first round of data collection, a first system of categories is developed. In the summer of 2022 the study will be repeated in a similar fashion, and a final category system will be established.

During the media education lessons students will learn about the right to their own image, to determine talking rules for the discussion rounds which will take place during the reflection phases in the PE lessons, and to test the app for the very first time.

Recent Publications

Diekhoff, H., & Greve, S. (2025). Digital technology in game-based approaches: Video tagging in football in PE. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 30(5), 535-547. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2256758

Greve, S., Diekhoff, H., & Süßenbach, J. (2022). Learning Soccer in Elementary School: Using Teaching Games for Understanding and Digital Media. Frontiers in Education, 7, 862798. ttps://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2022.862798

Diekhoff, H. & Greve, S. (2025). Digital-gestützte Sportspielvermittlung im Sportunterricht der Grundschule aus der Perspektive der Lehrkräfte. Zeitschrift für Fußball und Gesellschaft, 6(1), 54-68. https://doi.org/10.3224/fug.v6i1.05

Greve, S., König, S. & Diekhoff, H. (2023). Teaching Games for Understanding–Ein vernachlässigter Ansatz in der deutschen Sportpädagogik? [Teaching Games for Understanding– A neglected approach in German sports pedagogy]. Zeitschrift für Sportpädagogische Forschung, 11(1), 79–99.

Baumberger, J., König, S. & Bislin, S. (2021). Sportspielvermittlung: Gelingens- und Mißlingensfaktoren [Teaching Games: Factors of Success and Failure]. SportPraxis, 62(2), 11–15.

König, S. & Memmert, D. (2021). Teaching Decision-making and Creativity as a Vital Issue for teacher Education – a Qualitative Intervention Study with German Trainee Teachers. In Light, R. L., & Curry, C. (Eds.), Game Sense for Teaching and Coaching: International perspectives (S. 99–112). Routledge.

König, S., Baumberger, J. & Bislin, S. (2021). Getting Familiar with Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU)—A Qualitative Experiment with German and Swiss Teachers. International Journal for Physical Education LVIII(2), 15–28.

Heemsoth, T., Boe L., Bükers, F. & Krieger, C. (2020): Fostering pre-service eachers’ knowledge of ‘teaching games for understanding’ via videobased vs. text-based teaching examples. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, DOI: 10.1080/17408989.2020.1850668