Stakeholder perceptions of physical literacy assessment in primary school children

Abstract

Background: UNESCO [(2015). Quality Physical Education Guidelines for Policymakers. Paris: UNESCO Press.] highlighted the importance of developing physical literacy (PL) from childhood, although it remains unclear how best to evidence an individual's PL journey. The aim of this study was to explore key stakeholders' views of current practice, future directions and effective implementation of PL assessment, with a view to informing the development of a rigorous, authentic, and feasible PL assessment. Methods: Purposive samples of children aged between 6-7 years (n = 39), 10-11 years (n = 57), primary school teachers (n = 23), and self-defined experts with an interest in PL (academics n = 13, practitioners n = 8) were recruited to take part in a series of concurrent semi-structured focus groups. Each group included a maximum of six participants, lasted on average 40 (30-90) minutes were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis and key themes were represented by pen profiles. Results: Higher order themes of (i) existing assessments, (ii) demand for PL assessment, (iii) acceptability of PL assessment, and (iv) factors related to implementation of PL assessments were identified. All stakeholders viewed the assessment of PL as important, but in line with well-established barriers within physical education (PE), assessment was not a priority in many schools, resulting in a variability in existing practice. No assessment of the affective and cognitive domains of PL was reported to be in use at participating schools. All stakeholder groups recognised the potential benefits of using technology within the assessment process. Children recognised that teachers were constantly making judgements to help them improve, and agreed that assessment could help record this, and that assessment should be differentiated for each child. Teachers widely reported that future assessment should be time-efficient, simple, and useful. Conclusion: Study findings revealed a demonstrable need for a feasible PL assessment that could be effectively used in schools. To our knowledge, this is the first attempt to involve these stakeholders, and triangulate data, to inform future PL assessment and practice. Findings provide an evidence base to inform the onward development of a conceptually aligned PL assessment tool, suitable for use in schools. In turn, this will enable robust, empirical evidence to be collated, to evidence theory, and inform practice and policy.

Assessments Related to the Physical, Affective and Cognitive Domains of Physical Literacy Amongst Children Aged 7–11.9 Years: A Systematic Review

“…Therefore, an effective assessment would need to consider who would be conducting it to determine any potential training needed, ultimately, this would be an influential factor in the overall cost of the assessment. Edwards et al [42,53] and Goss et al [194] highlighted the need to support teachers with continuous professional development in order to ensure that pedagogical processes regarding assessment, teaching and learning were appropriate. Thus, assessments aimed towards educators should ensure that appropriate training and resources, designed at a level to be understood by generalist primary school teachers, should be offered.…”

“…Thus, assessments aimed towards educators should ensure that appropriate training and resources, designed at a level to be understood by generalist primary school teachers, should be offered. This could include written guidance for how to administer questionnaires, model videos of how to score physical competence assessments [52,194], and the creation of communities of practice to support the ongoing development of physical literacy assessment. While it may require additional resources to effectively prepare classroom teachers to administer assessments, enabling the teacher to conduct and interpret the results of a physical literacy assessment is particularly important as a classroom teacher will relate to and understand their pupils on a deeper level than that of a researcher [46].…”

“…Goss et al [194] recently examined stakeholder perceptions of physical literacy assessment in a qualitative study involving children, teachers, academics and practitioners. In the study, children themselves highlighted that assessment should be a fun and enjoyable experience.…”

“…This review has identified a range of assessments of learning within physical literacy and related domains, yet it is unclear how these assessments help to support children's learning per se. Learning is a critical concept within physical literacy [1,15,20,21,26] and many teachers and educators would argue that assessment should be a learning experience [194][195][196]. Future research should therefore explore the learning potential of physical literacy assessments, for example in developing children's knowledge and understanding of movement and physical activity concepts.…”

“…In order for an assessment to inspire learning and have educational impact, participants should feel empowered [195,199]. To achieve this, physical literacy assessment results could be discussed by teachers/researchers with each individual child and their parents, with constructive and encouraging feedback offered in terms of areas where the child is progressing well on their physical literacy journey and areas for development [39,194,195,200,201]. Therefore, assessment developers and manuals should include guidance on how to facilitate a meaningful discussion concerning progress with individual learners and key stakeholders.…”