What did they learn in school today? A method for exploring aspects of learning in physical education

Abstract

This paper outlines a method for exploring learning in educational practice. The suggested method combines an explicit learning theory with robust methodological steps in order to explore aspects of learning in school physical education. The design of the study is based on sociocultural learning theory, and the approach adds to previous research within the field, both in terms of the combination of methods used and the claims made in our studies. The paper describes a way of collecting and analysing the retrieved data and discusses and illustrates the results of a study using this combination of explicit learning theory and robust methodological steps.

Sport and exercise pedagogy and questions about learning

“…The illustrations below are from a larger research project that focussed on learning in school PE. The project involved video-recorded PE lessons, teacher and student interviews and analyses of local curriculum documents in eight different schools (Quennerstedt et al, 2014). In this paper, we will use video and interview data in order to highlight the challenges we faced in analysing learning.…”

“…Quennerstedt et al, 2014 for its use in the study), and consider the four earlier mentioned methodological challenges inherent in analysing learning in a SEP context. From the two illustrations above, we are able to consider how different aspects of learning are constituted in practice and how learning can be investigated in different ways.…”

“…'Did you learn this in school or somewhere else?' (For more detail about the project see Quennerstedt et al, 2014).…”

“…In Sfard's (1998) terms, this approach is situated within a participation metaphor where learning is understood as an ongoing relation between learners, teachers/coaches and the cultural and institutional prerequisites of the learning situation (for a more thorough account of the theoretical assumptions, see Quennerstedt et al, 2014). This allows us to demonstrate what the use of an explicit theory can contribute to an analysis of SEP practices, to the types of questions that can be posed and also the claims research can make based on research findings.…”

“…Following each lesson the teacher was interviewed again to find out whether the lesson went as expected. From each of the lessons recorded, we selected four sequences-what we call didactic moments (Quennerstedt et al, 2014)-to be the basis for further in-depth interviews with the teacher and also with three students. We asked the students to comment on these particular sequences in relation to learning outcomes, using questions such as: 'Tell us what is going on here?'…”