A descriptive-analytical study of student teacher effectiveness and student behaviour in secondary school physical education
Date
1980
Authors
O'Sullivan, Mary
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Abstract
This study was a descriptive-analytical investigation of student behaviour and its relationship to student teacher effectiveness in secondary school physical education classes. Four basketball lessons, five dance lessons, and seven indoor soccer lessons were video-taped. Sixty-five students, with a minimum of three and a maximum of five from each class, were randomly selected for observation. Each was individually observed and coded every 12 seconds, for three five-minute periods of the lesson, using the ALT-PE Model (Siedento p, Bi r dwell, and Metzler, 1979) as the coding instrument. ALT-PE and ALT-PE(M) were determined for each student, each class, and each activity.
The 16 lessons were evaluated and scored independently for teacher effectiveness by three competent and experienced physical educators using an evaluation sheet designed for the study. A quarter of the tapes were scored a second time by the judges and a reliability of .75 obtained.
Twenty-six t tests were completed to determine (1) the relationships between student 'time on task' and: basketball dance, and indoor soccer activities; class size; and sex of student teacher; (2) the relationships between teacher effectiveness, as scored by the judges, and: basketball, dance, and indoor soccer lessons; class size; and sex of student teacher; and (3) the relationship of student 'time on task' in the four most effective and four least effective lessons.
The results showed significant difference s in student 'time on task' for different activities taught, but no significant differences for class size or sex of the student teacher. No significant differences were found for teacher effectiveness between activities taught, class sizes, or sex of the student teachers. A great variability was found in student 'time on task' for the least effective lessons. This was due to the high student involvement in fitness activities in dance classes that the judges considered to be ineffective physical education lessons. The study supported the claim by Brophy and Evertson (1976) that teaching was the application of a variety of skills at different times under various circumstances.