Perspectives and reflections on assessment in physical education: A narrative inquiry of a pre-service, in-service and physical education teacher educator

Walters, William; MacLaughlin, Vikki; Deakin, Alanna

doi:10.1080/25742981.2022.2053334

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…In fact, a number of teachers noted that the learning intention behind fitness testing was to prepare pupils for examination PE. This again aligns with the point highlighted earlier regarding the dominant performative culture in schools, with the focus being on examination preparation and assessment (Walters et al, 2022). The issue here is that spending time preparing pupils for future examination years can detract from achieving the learning outcomes that are suitable for their age group.…”

Section: Learning Intentionssupporting

confidence: 77%

“…A similar paradox was found by Alfrey and Gard (2014). This enigma might also be partly explained by the increasingly dominant performative culture and level of accountability embedded within PE (Stirrup and Damant, 2022;Walters et al, 2022) which was highlighted earlier, and which reduces health to that which can be measured, compared and evidenced (Cale et al, 2014). Perhaps these pressures are so pervasive in PE that they overshadow teachers' personal concerns and hesitancies about fitness testing.…”

Section: Why?mentioning

confidence: 82%

“…According to Macdonald (2014), fitness testing is situated within this agenda, valuing measurable outcomes and self-surveillance. It could also reflect teachers' concerns surrounding accountability and/or the need to justify the status of PE as a worthy subject within the curriculum (Walters et al, 2022). Indeed, one of the teachers, when justifying their reasoning for strongly agreeing that 'fitness testing should be part of the PE curriculum in all schools', commented: 'It gives PE academic weighting' (IND-COED-ENG).…”

Section: If?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The if, why and how of fitness testing in secondary school physical education in the United Kingdom

Harte,

Alfrey,

Spray

et al. 2023

European Physical Education Review

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Historically fitness testing has been identified as a common but controversial physical education (PE)-for-health practice across the globe. Despite this, little is known about the current prevalence and implementation of fitness testing. This paper therefore reports on findings from a survey which gathered both quantitative and qualitative data to explore the ‘if?’, ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ of fitness testing and provide new insights into teachers’ learning intentions, pedagogical practices, and attitudes towards it. The survey was distributed to PE departments in secondary schools across the UK, and responses were analysed and reported descriptively and thematically. Responses from 260 schools highlighted that fitness testing remains a common practice in PE, with 80% of PE teachers reporting it to feature in their curriculum. There was less consensus surrounding the ‘why?’ and ‘how?’ of testing, with variation evident in teachers’ stated learning intentions, pedagogical practices, and attitudes. Despite its prevalence, PE teachers expressed concerns over negative pupil outcomes potentially arising from fitness testing, and over 60% of teachers were uncertain or agreed that fitness testing can have a negative impact on pupils’ psychological health. Given the findings and the reported widespread prevalence of fitness testing, further research should explore pupils’ perspectives, responses, and outcomes of fitness testing, including their motivational and emotional responses to testing. Working with teachers and encouraging them to critically reflect on the ‘if?', ‘why?' and ‘how?’ of fitness testing is recommended and will hopefully help to bridge the gap between research and practice.

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Section: Learning Intentionssupporting

confidence: 77%

Section: Why?mentioning

confidence: 82%

Section: If?mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The if, why and how of fitness testing in secondary school physical education in the United Kingdom

Harte,

Alfrey,

Spray

et al. 2023

European Physical Education Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The teaching methods adopted by PSPTs during actual education, including teaching strategies, curriculum design, student engagement, and assessment methods, all impact the physical development of students [ [28] , [29] , [30] ]. Thus, learning and optimizing teaching methods are conducive to PE teachers enhancing teaching quality [ 31 ].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of pre-service physical education teachers in physical education – A bibliometric and systematic review

Zhou

2024

Heliyon

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Preparing pre-service physical education teachers as practitioner researchers

MacPhail

Scanlon

Tannehill

2023

Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy

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Perspectives and reflections on assessment in physical education: A narrative inquiry of a pre-service, in-service and physical education teacher educator

Cited by 8 publications

References 51 publications

The if, why and how of fitness testing in secondary school physical education in the United Kingdom

The if, why and how of fitness testing in secondary school physical education in the United Kingdom

The role of pre-service physical education teachers in physical education – A bibliometric and systematic review

Preparing pre-service physical education teachers as practitioner researchers

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