AIESEP International Conference

June 8-11, 2016

Laramie, Wyoming, USA

AIESEP

Association Internationale des Écoles Supérieures d’Éducation Physique

International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education

Με επιτυχία πραγματοποιήθηκε το συνέδριο της Διεθνούς Ένωσης για τη Φυσική Αγωγή στην Ανώτερη Εκπαίδευση (International Association for Physical Education in Higher Education) - τη μεγαλύτερη επιστημονική ένωση για τη Φυσική Αγωγή παγκοσμίως. Ερευνητές από σχεδόν όλη την υφήλιο συμμετείχαν σε ένα υψηλού επιπέδου συνέδριο που είχε άψογα διοργανωθεί από το Πανεπιστήμιο του Γουαιόμινγκ. Οι διοργανωτές, με αφορμή την συμπλήρωση 50 χρόνων από τη διατύπωση της θεωρίας του Φάσματος των Μεθόδων Διδασκαλίας, είχαν σχεδιάσει επετειακό αφιέρωμα με επίτιμους προσκεκλημένους. 

Ο Αν. Καθηγητής της ΣΕΦΑΑ Π.Θ., Νικόλαος  Διγγελίδης,
ήταν ανάμεσα στους επίτιμους προσκεκλημένους
και μαζί με το Σύρμπα Ιωάννη (PhD) είχαν την τιμή να παρουσιάσουν ενότητα με θέμα:
"Developing a better understanding of how students and teachers learn to teach with the Spectrum"

Ταυτόχρονα κατά τη διάρκεια του συνεδρίου παρουσίασαν προφορικές εργασίες και είχαν την ευκαιρία να ανταλλάξουν απόψεις με διακεκριμένους ερευνητές για τις κυρίαρχες τάσεις στον χώρο της Φυσικής Αγωγής διεθνώς.  
Περισσότερες πληροφορίες για το συνέδριο μπορείτε να βρείτε κάνοντας κλικ ΕΔΩ  

Οι περιλήψεις των ανακοινώσεων που έγιναν από τα μέλη της ΣΕΦΑΑ του Πανεπιστημίου Θεσσαλίας, Αν. Καθηγητή Διγγελίδη Ν. και Σύρμπα Ιωάννη (PhD) ακολουθούν στην συνέχεια.

Developing a better understanding of how students and teachers learn to teach with the Spectrum.

Digelidis, N., & Syrmpas, I.

(University of Thessaly, Greece)

• Four independent studies were conducted aimed at examining PE teachers’ and students’ experiences with and beliefs about Spectrum of Teaching Styles. The findings of the quantitative study revealed that whilst PE teachers perceived teaching styles from both clusters to be equally beneficial to students, they reported using teaching styles from the reproduction cluster more than the production cluster. The aforementioned findings confirmed the reproduction cluster of teaching styles is the prevailing teaching approach in the PE domain (Cothran et al., 2005; Jaakkola and Watt, 2011; Kulinna and Cothran, 2003). Finally, the findings suggested that PE teachers’ perceived ability could be an influential factor, but not the sole factor, on PE teachers’ decision to implement Spectrum teaching styles. PE teachers’ choice to implement various teaching styles in many cases appears to be influenced by their willingness to promote their students’ fun, learning, or motivation in relation to that particular style. Findings of the present study are aligned with Tinning’s (2010) proposition that the Spectrum of teaching styles is a useful continuum of strategies ideal for contextual and discretional use. PE teachers may consider self or students’ characteristics when they made use of each teaching style rather than implement a style as proposed within the Spectrum framework. The qualitative analysis results indicated that the majority of teachers more often implement reproduction rather than production approaches regardless the school level. Furthermore, a variety of factors that may influence their teaching preferences such as course control, time management, active time, discipline and responsibility were identified. Participants reported that they perceived themselves as self-efficacious to implement both teaching approaches. The findings revealed that there is pattern between the physical education class goals they set as top priority and their teaching preference. The finding imply that curriculum developers should design the in-site PE teachers’ education as a long-term and gradual process which demands the combination of training and implementation of innovative teaching approaches with tangible evidence on students’ learning.

Participants in the quantitative study reported that as students they had been more frequently exposed to reproduction teaching styles than to production teaching styles in their physical education classes. Also they perceived that the reproduction teaching styles provide students with more opportunities for fun, learning skills, and motivation for learning. In addition, as physical education instructors in the future student teachers stated that they are keener on implementing teaching styles from the reproduction cluster. Finally, the finding of the study confirmed student teachers’ conceptions about their students’ learning process influenced by their prior experiences as school students. The findings of the qualitative study revealed two framework theories that reflect the diversity of PE student teachers’ beliefs of the teaching approaches. PE student teachers attributed different characteristics to both clusters of teaching approaches and learning as well. More specifically, 5 PE student teachers were categorized within the first mental model and they appeared to hold the naïve presupposition that learning is dimensional and reproduction teaching approaches facilitate more effectively its’ accomplishment. On the other hand, 11 PE student teachers perceived that learning is multidimensional and it could be achieved through the implementation of production teaching approaches. Finally, the findings of the present study confirmed Vosniadou’s (1994) suggestion that prior beliefs play an important role on learners’ structure of the knowledge. Curriculum developers should design a curriculum which will help students to discover the mismatch between their beliefs concerning learning and the prevailing scientific theory (Vosniadou 1991).

References

Cothran DJ, Kulinna PH, Banville D, et al (2005) A cross-cultural Investigation of the use of teaching styles. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport 76, 193-201. 

Jaakkola, T., & Watt, A. (2011). Finnish physical education teachers’ self-reported use and perceptions of Mosston and Ashworth’s teaching styles. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education,30(3), 248-262.

Kulinna, P.H., & Cothran, D.J. (2003). Physical education teachers’ self‐reported use and perceptions of various teaching styles. Learning and Instruction 13, 597‐ 609

Tinning, R. (2010). Pedagogy and Human Movement: Theory. Practice, Research. London: Routledge.

Vosniadou, S. (1994). Capturing and modeling the process of conceptual change.Learning and instruction,4(1), 45-69.

Vosniadou, S. (1991). Designing curricula for conceptual restructuring: Lessons from the study of knowledge acquisition in astronomy.Journal Curriculum Studies,23(3), 219-237.

Physical education student teachers’ mental models of production and reproduction teaching approaches.
Syrmpas, I., 1 Digelidis, N., 1 & Pasco, D.2

(1University of Thessaly, Greece; 2European University of Brittany, Brest)

Lawson (1983) suggested that teacher socialization period is divided into three stages:  acculturation, professional, and organizational.During the acculturation stage a variety of factors influence not only physical education (PE) teachers’ decision to become a physical education teacher, but also the way they shape their knowledge and beliefs about teaching methods, course content and pedagogical point of view. Thus, is important to be explored student teachers’ initial beliefs aiming at understanding their cognitive background and its’ role in the learning process (Vosniadou, 2002).One of the dominant theories in cognitive psychology field to understand teachers’ knowledge and beliefs is the Framework Theory of Conceptual Change (Vosniadou, 2007) which is widely used to describe and elucidate the complexity of learning process. The participants were 16 second year PE student teachers (10 males and 6 females). A qualitative ethnographic methodology was used and the data were collected by using semi-structure interviews. A multi-level analysis process was conducted which included open and axial coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The findings revealed two mental models. More specifically, within first mental model were categorized 5 student teachers, which consider that reproduction teaching approach facilitates students’ learning. Learning is understood as a dimensional process. On the other hand, within the second mental model were categorized 11 student teachers, which believe that production teaching approach promotes students’ learning. They understand the learning as a multidimensional process. The two mental models highlight the developmental nature of students’ learning concerning the production and reproduction teaching approaches. The diversity of students’ mental models reveals students’ diverse understanding of complex and sophisticated scientific concepts. Also, support Vosniadou’s (2007) suggestion that learners come to education not as “tabula rasa” but having already formed an initial understanding about the world based on their subjective feelings.

References

Duit, R., & Treagust, D. (2003). Conceptual Change: A powerful framework for improving science teaching and learning. International Journal of Science Education. 25(6), 671-688.

Lawson, H. A. (1983) Toward a model of teacher socialization in physical education: the subjective warrant, recruitment, and teacher education (part 1), Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 2, 3-16.

Vosniadou, S. (2007). The conceptual change approach and its re-framing. In S. Vosniadou, A. Baltas, & X. Vamvakoussi (Eds.), Advances in learning and instruction series: Reframing the conceptual change approach in learning and instruction (pp. 1-15). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier Science.

Vosniadou, S. (1994). Capturing and modeling the process of conceptual change. Learning and Instruction, 4, 45-49.

Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Alternative Factor Model Representations of the Teaching Styles Questionnaire

Syrmpas, I.1, Digelidis, N.1, & Watt2

(1School of Physical Education and Sport Science, University of Thessaly, Greece, 2Victoria University, Australia)

ABSTRACT

The Spectrum of teaching styles has been described as a "useful toolbox" which provides physical education (PE) teachers with eleven alternative options in coping with students' diversity and accomplishing PE curriculum goals. Subsequently, an instrument was developed by Kulinna and Cothran's (2003) to examine PE teachers' experiences and perceptions of Mosston and Ashworth's Spectrum of teaching styles. The purpose of the study was to examine the psychometric properties of alternative production and reproduction factorial models of Kulinna and Cothran's (2003) questionnaire as it has been modified by Syrmpas, Digelidis and Watt (2015).  Participants were 219 Greek PE teachers (132 males and 87 females). Oral and written instructions were provided and each participant completed the questionnaire anonymously. Three confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed to test alternate hypothesized factor models of the translated scale. The findings of the CFA of the items related to teachers' beliefs about perceived benefits to students (fun, learning, motivation), for styles grouped according to the production and reproduction clusters, indicated satisfactory factorial validity. Lower than expected Cronbach's alpha values demonstrated the model has tentative internal consistency. Results of the second CFA and internal consistency analysis for 11 items related to teachers' reported use of each teaching style revealed that the production and reproduction clusters model had satisfactory factorial validity and reliability. Finally, a CFA of the 11 items related to teachers' perceived ability to implement each teaching style, cluster categorized according to the production and reproduction model, demonstrated adequate factorial validity. Cronbach's alpha values supported satisfactory internal consistency.  Findings generally endorse a set of models framed according to the categorization of the 11 teaching styles with the production and reproduction cluster framework. Continued work to reword items to better reflect this style classification model represents a future research direction.

References

Kulinna, P.H., & Cothran, D.J. (2003). Physical education teachers’ self‐reported use and perceptions of various teaching styles. Learning and Instruction 13: 597‐ 609.

Syrmpas, I., Digelidis, N., & Watt, A. (2016). An examination of Greek physical educators’ implementation and perceptions of Spectrum teaching styles.European Physical Education Review,22(2), 201-214.

The concept of responsibility through students' words

 Koutelidas, A., Syrmpas, I. & Digelidis, N.

(University of Thessaly, Greece)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the research was to explore 6th graders' perceptions with respect to the concept of "responsibility", based on the theoretical framework of Hellison's TPSR model (2011). 17 male and female sixth-graders from 9 Greek public elementary schools of Central Greece participated in the study. Study was conducted through semi-structured interviews. Five questions corresponded to the five levels of the TPSR model and the sixth one was directly referring to students' perceptions of the concept of "responsibility". The latter question was phrased as follows: "What does the word "responsibility" mean to you? What type of behavior would you consider as responsible?" The transcripts of the recorded interviews were analyzed by using QSR NVivo and further coded according to the levels of responsibility of the TPSR model and their constituent components. The present poster is limited to the presentation of the results of the analysis of the sixth question, regarding the perceptions of the concept "responsibility". Students seemed to refer most frequently to the first level of responsibility (42 references), namely "respect" and its components (self-control, peaceful conflict resolution, and mostly to behaviors indicative of reliability-consistency, discipline, and human dignity). The third level, the level of "self-direction" and its components (on-task independence, goal-setting progression, and mostly behaviors indicating self-commitment), was the second most frequently mentioned level by the interviewed students (20 references). An almost equally substantial level for students' perception of responsibility was the fourth level ("helping others and leadership") and its components of caring and compassion, sensitivity and responsiveness, and inner strength (17 references). Finally, the students rarely alluded to the second level, the level of effort (5 references). Findings show that there is a relatively rational hierarchy in students' perceptions over responsibility, since they mostly referred to the first level of TPSR and less to the rest of the levels.

References

Hellison, D. R. (2011).Teaching personal and social responsibility through physical activity. Human Kinetics.