Background: Within a socio-constructivist perspective, this study is situated at the crossroads of three theoretical approaches. First, it is based upon team sport and the tactical act model in games teaching. Second, it took place in dyadic or small group learning conditions with verbal interaction. Furthermore, these interventions were based on cooperative learning (CL) models. The cultural context is the French school curriculum, so it emphasizes the role of sports as social practice and uses the applied concept of French didactic transposition. It took place in a socio-constructivist perspective of the teaching-learning process and extends the notion of debate-of-idea. Purpose: This article explores the role of CL in a Physical Education (PE) classroom setting and particularly the role of verbal exchanges among peers in team-sport teaching. Research design: This article reports two interventions. The first study showed the positive effects of discussions within a team in an adapted basketball game. Seventeen boys and 13 girls from a French school (third and fourth grades), all novices in basketball, were assigned to two independent groups of a two (Learning condition) design. Dependent measures included collective game efficacy and individual skill levels. A second study concerned an instructional setting of a handball team game (two attackers against a defender in each half of the ground) with 11-12-year-old girls. Two groups were constituted by learning condition: symmetrical versus dissymmetrical dyads. Data collection and analysis: During PE lessons, verbal interactions were filmed and recorded for the two studies. Matches were filmed in study 1, while data in study 2 were collected by an expert on an observation worksheet. ANOVA were conducted in both studies. Results:The two studies showed that oral discussions between peers about the goal and the strategies of the game facilitated the development of motor and tactical skills. The second study showed the superiority of a slightly dissymmetric dyadic condition. The low-skilled pupils in dissymmetrical dyads obtained more benefit from the verbal interactions than those in a symmetrical setting. In the dissymmetrical condition, while the initially low-skilled participants had the highest rate of progression, the initially high-skilled players had to explain their solution and could also benefit from the dyadic interaction. Conclusion: In both studies, action rules were constructed by peers' verbal exchanges in a reflective way. In a PE socio-constructivist setting, the teaching of games facilitates mutual aid, social relationships, and participation in community activities. IntroductionOur work is situated at the crossroads of various theoretical and instructional approaches: socio-constructivism, games teaching, learning in dyads or small groups, and cooperative learning (CL). The cultural context of our work is that of Physical Education (PE) in France, so it emphasizes the role of sports as social practice and the applied concept of French didactic tran...

Students often do not take full advantage of peer tutoring instructional strategies because they are not sufficiently prepared to fulfill the role of tutor. This study examined whether implementing a peer tutor training program prior to the beginning of reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) sessions might help overcome this issue. Gender differences were also explored. In a physical education setting, 48 novice ninth-graders were assigned in symmetric dyads to a physical practice associated with trained RPT condition (TRPT; n=24) or a physical practice associated with spontaneous RPT condition (SRPT; n=24). Moreover, 24 participants were assigned to a physical practice without any form of RPT control condition (PP). The peer tutor training, based on an original group interview technique, aimed at enhancing the explanatory potential of the tutor and his/her sensitivity to the specific needs of the tutee. Results indicated a superior motor performance for the TRPT condition and no difference between the SRPT and PP conditions. Interestingly, a positive relation between motor performance and self-efficacy beliefs was found for TRPT females. The assumption that the development of metacognitive awareness is one of the mechanisms underlying RPT's effectiveness was thus supported.Résumé Les élèves ne profitent pas toujours pleinement des méthodes d'enseignement de tutorat entre pairs car ils ne sont pas suffisamment préparés à remplir le rôle de tuteur. Cette étude a examiné si la mise en oeuvre d'un programme de formation au tutorat d'un pair, en amont du commencement de séquences de tutorat réciproque entre pairs (RPT), contribuait à surmonter ce problème. Les différences liées au genre ont également été considérées. Dans un contexte d'éducation physique et sportive, 48 élèves novices de 3 e ont été assignés en dyades symétriques à une condition de pratique physique associée à un RPT formé (TRPT; n=24) ou Eur J Psychol Educ (2010) 25:222-242

Few studies concern cooperative learning in Physical Education (PE). The purpose of this experimental design was to analyze the role of verbal exchanges (discussions about the game) among peers within teams in a cooperative perspective. The participants were 17 boys and 13 girls from a French primary school (average age: 9.4 years). They were randomly assigned to two control and experimental groups. The study examined the effect of verbal exchanges on inter-personal relationships and on shooting and skill level in a team game of basketball (with adapted rules). Participants were videotaped during the games in the two groups and during discussions in the case of the experimental group. The experimental design took place during 10 physical education lessons. The results showed positive effects of discussions within each team on the skill level in the game at the deferred post-test. On the other hand, no effect was found on inter-personal relationships. These data strengthen previous findings in the theoretical cooperation framework and in the team sports domain.

This review offers an update of the psychological effects of Tai Chi Chuan (TC) among different populations. A computerized literature research from 1990 to June 2006 was carried out. Studies were selected when they assessed the mental and psychological effects of TC practice among various populations. Data from 14 studies for a total of 829 subjects, age range from 12 to 96 years, were considered here. There were eight randomized controlled trials and six quasi-experimental or case control studies in this review. The intensity of TC varied from 30 min twice a week over a 5-week period to 1 h every day over an 8-week period. TC was characterized as a kind of light-to-moderate exercise and was found to enhance overall psychological well-being and to improve self-efficacy and mood. TC benefits appeared to be more tangible for adults and healthy older adults or those becoming frail. However, TC did not appear to be more efficient than exercises of the same intensity. Extensive and qualitative studies are needed to quantify the effects of the volume of practice, expert modeling, gender differences, and the age-related learning process on efficacy cognitions and mood in clinical and nonclinical contexts.

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