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Investigating a Nonlinear Pedagogy Approach to Primary School Physical Education

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Thesis(2.91 MB)

Date

2022

Authors

Supervisor

Harrison, Craig
Millar, Sarah-Kate
Walters, Simon

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Doctor of Philosophy

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Publisher

Auckland University of Technology

Abstract

The development of children’s movement skill competence (MSC) has often been limited by the use of traditional teaching approaches to teaching that prescribe predetermined paths for learning. For example, linear pedagogical approaches in physical education (PE) settings have been characterised by teachers prescribing ideal movement models for children to aspire to replicate in highly structured and decontextualised environments. In an attempt to better understand and support the development of children’s MSCs, recent research has adopted nonlinear pedagogical (NP) approaches that capture the inextricable relationship between the individual child and the movement environment. At present, research pertaining specifically to the impact of NP approaches upon children in primary school settings is limited. Focused on the development of adopting an NP approach to PE in a primary school setting, the research reported in this thesis was underpinned by a pragmatic philosophical position. Through a mixed methods research approach, this project sought to capture change in children’s MSC and better understand the experiences of adopting an NP approach to PE in primary school setting through the voices of the principal, teachers, and children. Study one investigated the impact of an NP approach to PE upon children’s MSCs after a nine-week intervention and a 13-week follow-up. The results showed a significant improvement in children’s MSC following the intervention, which contributes new evidence to the impact of NP approaches to PE in primary school settings. Moreover, a significant between-group difference in MSC was reported at the 13-week retention test timepoint, in favour of an NP approach to PE compared with a linear pedagogical approach. Study two sought to capture the experiences of a principal, teachers, and children of a school adopting an NP approach to PE. These perspectives revealed multiple interlinked themes being identified for the principal (i.e., need for change, empowering teachers and children, influences of teacher on children’s experiences of PE), teachers (i.e., seeing children as individual learners, empowering children, teaching PE the way we were taught), and children (i.e., achievement, ownership, the role of the teacher). Notably, the findings of study two contributed to developing a better understanding of the findings of study one, and ultimately a greater understanding of the research question of this thesis. This thesis concludes with the sharing of insights from me as a movement scientist embedded in situ in a primary school setting for four years and the real-world practical applications of an NP approach to PE as planned and practiced by teachers at the study school.

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https://hdl.handle.net/10292/15914

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