‘Sport Education’, improving the involvement and responsibility of low attaining pupils

last updated:June 2009

We chose this case study because it showed how one teacher significantly improved the attainment of some low attaining pupils. The project used the ‘Sport Education’ model which encourages greater involvement and responsibility to be taken by pupils in their learning.

The aims of the project were:

• improve the attainment of disaffected and low achieving pupils through the integration of a school-specific leadership model
• improve pupils’ attitudes towards and engagement with learning, and
• marginalise poor behaviour, encourage citizenship, a sense of belonging, accountability, ownership and enjoyment.

The study focused on twelve year 10 students from a secondary school in Birmingham, who were identified as at risk of failing to meet their predicted grade at GCSE in PE. Some of the pupils displayed signs of disaffection, such as disruptive behaviour or reluctance to actively participate in the lesson. The target group was mixed with twelve higher achieving pupils. A formal questionnaire and semi-structured group interviews were used to assess pupils’ views of the project.

What were the strategies used to engage with pupils?
The teacher researcher used the ‘Sport Education’ model which gave the pupils responsibility and accountability for their actions, enjoyment and learning.

Roles and responsibilities
The class comprised four teams which each contained five pupils. Each pupil was given a specific leadership role with certain responsibilities to fulfil. These roles were Team Captain, Fitness Coach, Equipment Monitor, Skills Co-ordinator and Recorder & Monitor.

Points system and team sheet
A points system was introduced which aimed to easily measure improvements in various areas. The team recorder registered standards such as attendance, punctuality, kit and homework on a lesson team sheet. Additional points were awarded at the teacher’s discretion, for example for exceptional effort, champagne moment, outstanding performance and sports-personship. The team with the most points at the end of the week won and their picture was placed on the Sport Education notice board.

Punctuality revision quiz
As pupils arrived at the lesson they were given time to revise their notes from the previous lesson. A punctuality revision quiz was then delivered, with those who arrived first receiving the simplest question. This encouraged pupils to be early for the lesson, highlighted the profile of revision and created a more focused start to the lesson.

Lesson structure
This involved implementing strategies that would give pupils a clear sense of direction and enabled lessons to run smoothly. The teacher set out clear objectives and expectations for the lesson. The lesson was split into shifts of responsibility and lesson objectives were printed on the team sheet setting clear expectations.

Bringing the correct kit
The ‘recorder & monitor’ documented any incorrect kits for each pupil in each lesson. The number of incorrect kits declined significantly from 15 in the first term to 2 in the third term.

The project had the following measurable results for the group of low achieving pupils studied:

• improved attainment
• improved attitudes
• decline in poor behaviour
• increased participation, engagement and punctuality
• increased sense of accountability and ownership, and
• increased enjoyment.

More pupils achieved a pass on their ten weekly assessments, hitting their target grade or above. At the end of year exams four pupils outperformed their predicted grade and only one pupil failed to reach their predicted grade.

75% of pupils stated that they enjoyed working with their Sport Education team in their PE lessons. One pupil commented:
‘It makes you feel like you belong, like you’re needed’.

Another said:
‘some people would have chosen not to participate and not be bothered and fade into the background… but if you’ve got a role, you have to do it and go from there and keep participating’.

All pupils’ punctuality improved and the revision quiz ensured a prompt start to the lesson and demonstrated the need to revise in order to progress. The numbers of ‘failure to hand in homework’ decreased from 24 to six over three terms, while detentions for the target group given for poor behaviour decreased from 18 to two in the same period.

The researcher concluded that the Sport Education model:

• highlighted the importance of a more flexible approach to meet the needs of pupils, in particular using varied teaching styles and giving pupils additional responsibility for their own learning and assessment
• was conducive to a more democratic teaching style and development of positive relationships with students
• provided greater consistency for pupils when the regular teacher was absent, and
• was subsequently found to be even more successful with younger groups when taught from Y7.

Reference
Holland, E. (2006) Sport Education: a vehicle for the inclusion and performance of your underachieving and disaffected pupils. National Teacher Research Panel conference paper.

National Teacher Research Panel conference publication