Erin Gerlach

Core practices (CPs) have been proposed as high-leverage clusters of teaching practices, and thus offer a framework for structuring physical education (PE), teacher education (PETE), and PE teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD). However, a set of CPs for PE aligned with German-speaking norms for high-quality PE has been lacking. This study aimed to (1) identify and formulate a set of CPs in PE and (2) examine how in-service PE teachers assess their relevance. An exploratory mixed-methods design was used: First, in the qualitative phase, the project team generated an initial set of CPs in PE and, based on expert feedback, differentiated between CPs in PE, describing PE teachers’ classroom performance, and more elaborated CPs for PETE and PE teachers’ CPD. Secondly, in the quantitative phase, 92 PE teachers rated eight CPs on their importance for PE, frequency of enactment, and relevance for PETE. The results of t  tests comparing each mean rating with the scale midpoint indicated that all CPs were rated significantly above the midpoint, with moderate-to-large effect sizes. This pattern suggests high perceived relevance of the CPs for both PE and PETE, as well as their frequent enactment in practice. Repeated-measures analyses of variance showed differences between CPs, indicating that PE teachers differentiated meaningfully between them. The resulting set of eight CPs in PE, together with related CPs for PETE and CPD, offers a subject-specific framework for structuring PETE and CPD and provides a starting point for developing instruments to assess PE teachers’ CP-related performance and to evaluate CP-based programs.

Zusammenfassung: Es bedarf theoretisch begründeter und empirisch abgesicherter Instrumente, um (angehende) Lehrkräfte in einer strukturierten und zielgerichteten Reflexion ihres pädagogischen Handelns unterstützen und Aus- und Fortbildungseinheiten hinsichtlich ihres Nutzens evaluieren zu können. Klassenmanagement gilt als eine Schlüsselvariable „guten Unterrichts“. Studien zu seiner adäquaten Erfassung liefern wichtige Befunde, sie zeigen jedoch auch weiteren Forschungsbedarf insbesondere für die inhaltliche Abdeckung des Konstruktes auf. Der vorliegende Selbsteinschätzungsbogen zum Klassenmanagement für Lehrkräfte (MERKMAL‑L) zielt darauf ab, Klassenmanagement als Konstrukt umfassender abzubilden, sich trennschärfer von anderen Dimensionen der Unterrichtsqualität zu unterscheiden und zugleich ökonomisch zu sein. Seine Entwicklung wird nachgezeichnet und Ergebnisse der psychometrischen Güteprüfung auf Basis der Angaben von 237 Lehramtsstudierenden und Referendar:innen präsentiert. Die Fitstatistiken der konfirmatorischen Faktorenanalyse zeigen, dass das zuvor spezifizierte theoretische Modell eine akzeptable Modellpassung für die Drei-Faktorenstruktur (Allgegenwärtigkeit, Prozessmanagement, Verhaltensmanagement) aufweist. Die Reliabilitätskoeffizienten der drei Skalen weisen mit Werten > 0,80 auf eine gute Reliabilität hin. Einzelne Items weisen spezifische Schwierigkeiten für Studierende und Referendar:innen auf (partielle skalare Invarianz).

1. In today’s society, individuals have to fulfil certain tasks. The decision to complete or abandon a task is explained by the commonly used term ‘motivation’. In dual careers (DCs), student-athle...

Introduction The kindergarten age (four to six years) is considered to be a central phase of motor development, as basic motor competencies (BMC) are formed here. The development of BMC is crucial for participating in physical activities (PA) and sport, which in turn supports the development of a healthy lifestyle. Two domains of competence can be distinguished: the competence domain of object-movement includes tasks related to handling balls and the competence domain of self-movement includes movements of one's own body (Herrmann et al., 2022). Methods The BMC of N = 44 children (aged M = 58.1 months, SD = 7.9, 54.5% boys) were assessed in Hamburg, Germany, using the MOBAK-KG instrument (Herrmann et al., 2020). The children’s sport club membership and PA were recorded from the parents’ questionnaire. Data was analyzed using t-tests. Results Boys achieved higher scores in object-movement (p = .047, d = .62), whereas there were no significant differences between boys and girls in self-movement. Older children (60-67 months) performed significantly better in both domains (self-movement: p = .024, d = .72; object-movement: p < .001, d = 1.48) than the younger cohort (39-59 months). More than half of the children are physically active for at least half an hour on three days or less per week. Children who engage in PA for at least half an hour on four or more days a week achieved significantly better results in self-movement (p = .025, d = .72) but not in object-movement. Significant differences were also found between BMC and sport club membership in both domains (self-movement: p = .009, d = .84; object-movement: p = .004, d = .94) in favor of the children who are members of a sport club, with boys being in sport clubs more often than girls. Discussion/Conclusion A high level of BMC seems to enable children to take part in sports activities even in the kindergarten age. Boys already showed higher performance in handling balls in that age. The higher scores in both domains in favor of the older cohort indicate that the BMC of kindergarten children must always be interpreted in an age-specific manner. PA can be seen as an important factor in promoting self-movement. However, it should be noted that the information on PA is based on the subjective assessments of the parents, who might be biased. Participation in sport clubs is, however, relatively selective and depends on various factors, such as the social environment. Therefore, it is important to provide PA time in kindergarten. This study is the first in Germany which reproduces results from the Swiss context and refers to the validity of the MOBAK-KG instrument across cultures. References Herrmann, C., Bretz, K., Kühnis, J., Seelig, H., Keller, R., Storni, S., Voisard, N., Rossi, F., & Ferrari, I. (2022). Monitoring motorischer Basiskompetenzen von Kindergartenkindern in der Schweiz. Abschlussbericht MOBAK-Monitoring 2021 [Monitoring the basic motor skills of kindergarten children in Switzerland. Final report MOBAK-Monitoring 2021] Zürich: Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6380396 Herrmann, C., Ferrari, I., Wälti, M., Wacker, S., & Kühnis, J. (2020). MOBAK-KG: Motorische Basiskompetenzen im Kindergarten. Testmanual [MOBAK-KG: Basic motor skills in kindergarten. Test manual] (3rd ed.). https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3774435

Previous dual-career (DC) research focused on measuring student–athletes’ motivation in the academic and athletic contexts. Existing measurement instruments are insufficient for adolescent student–athletes and countries with independent education and sport systems. The Student–Athletes’ Academic and Athletic Motivation Scale (SAAMS) was developed based on the expectancy–value framework (EVF) with its dimensions ability beliefs, expectations, importance, interest, usefulness, and cost. The development of the SAAMS followed three phases: (1) item development, (2) scale development, and (3) scale evaluation. The initial version was tested with 346 student–athletes (mean age = 17.3 years; females = 47.7%). A revision phase resulted in a final SAAMS tested with 497 student–athletes (mean age = 17.0 years; females = 42.9%). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted for the evaluation. Several models were tested with the best results for a six-factor model as assumed by the EVF. The SAAMS is suitable for an extensive range of research and practical applications.

The simultaneous pursuit of success in elite sport and the highest school qualification is considered to be one of the challenges for adolescents who are sporting talents. Dual career assistance programmes (DCAPs) for student-athletes are designed to help master this challenge in the best possible way. This study focusses on the upper secondary school performance of 200 student-athletes from an elite sports school. First, the school performance of student-athletes enrolled in two different DCAPs was compared. In addition to the educational services in DCAP‑1, DCAP‑2 includes a 1-year extension of the school period and the option of spreading the final exam phase out over several school years. Second, the school performance of student-athletes was compared with the performance of the entire student population. The analyses yielded the following findings: 1) student-athletes’ school performance is well above the average of the entire student population. 2) Although, DCAP‑2 users are much more involved in elite sport, their school performance and performance development do not differ from DCAP‑1 users. These results do not provide any indication of a systematic neglect of student-athletes’ academic career in favour of their athletic career. DCAPs appear to ensure the success of student-athletes’ academic careers effectively.

Basic motor competencies (BMC) belong to the main learning goals of physical education (PE) in primary school and are needed to actively take part in the culture of sport and human movement. BMC levels between European countries differ widely and individual determinants like age, sex, and extracurricular physical activity participation consistently predict BMC levels (Wälti et al., 2022), but also structural aspects of PE are important factors of learning outcomes. In this study, we wanted to investigate if the weekly amount of PE accounts for differences in BMC levels across countries. We assessed BMC (object movement, self-movement), anthropometric data (sex, age, body-mass-index) and participation in extracurricular physical activity (ball sports, individual sports) in 3,069 6- to 10-year-old primary school children using the MOBAK-1-4 and structural aspects (amount of PE) in 179 teachers from eight European countries. Latent multilevel regression analyses were corrected for children’s sex, age, body-mass-index, extracurricular physical activity participation and region of assessment. Despite differences in the weekly amount of PE in the assessed samples, there were no significant associations between the amount of PE and object movement or self-movement in either the 6- to 8-year-old or the 8- to 10-year-old children. The covariates age, sex, body-mass-index and participation in ball sports were significant predictors of object movement in all children. Body-mass-index and participation in any kind of extracurricular physical activity were significantly associated with self-movement in children aged 6-8 years. In children aged 8-10 years, all anthropometric variables as well as participation in any kind of extracurricular physical activity were significant predictors of self-movement. Other country-specific or PE-related factors might be more crucial for the differences in BMC levels than the amount of PE (García-Hermoso et al., 2020). A focus on the quality and content of PE lessons as well as on the qualification and goals of PE teachers is suggested. Nevertheless, for children who do not participate in extracurricular physical activity, PE can be crucial for BMC development. References García-Hermoso, A., Alonso-Martínez, A. M., Ramírez-Vélez, R., Pérez-Sousa, M. Á., Ramírez-Campillo, R., & Izquierdo, M. (2020). Association of physical education with improvement of health-related physical fitness outcomes and fundamental motor skills among youths: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(6), Article e200223. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0223 Wälti, M., Sallen, J., Adamakis, M., Ennigkeit, F., Gerlach, E., Heim, C., Jidovtseff, B., Kossyva, I., Labudová, J., Masaryková, D., Mombarg, R., De Sousa Morgado, L., Niederkofler, B., Niehues, M., Onofre, M., Pühse, U., Quitério, A., Scheuer, C., Seelig, H., Vlček, P., . . . & Herrmann, C. (2022). Basic motor competencies of 6- to 8-year-old primary school children in ten European countries: A cross-sectional study on associations with age, sex, BMI and physical activity. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 804753. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.804753

With the 2012 EU guidelines on dual careers (DC), DC research gained increasing awareness in Europe focussing particularly on student-athletes’ motivation. The Student Athletes’ Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ), arguably the most prominent instrument in this research area, has been used in various cross-cultural studies assessing DC motivation. The present investigation contributes to the cross-cultural discourse aiming to (1) adapt the SAMSAQ for the German context and adolescent secondary school student-athletes, and (2) evaluate the German pre-version. A sample of 208 student-athletes (52.4% females, mean age = 17.4 years, 49.5% at squad level) at three German Elite Sport Schools participated in the study. The investigation was split into two parts. First, the SAMSAQ was adapted to the German context and tested. In the second part, the first pre-version was revised. A series of exploratory factor analyses were applied to verify the factor structure of both German SAMSAQ pre-versions. Eight different factor models based on item removal were compared. Neither model demonstrated good results for the replication of previous findings or a meaningful solution in terms of content. Reasons for the deviations between the original and target SAMSAQ factor structures can be found in the different target groups and the culturally different approaches to career assistant programmes as well as in the theoretical background of the instrument. Since neither model was identified as acceptable, the findings indicate that a new instrument needs to be developed for assessing student-athletes’ DC motivation along their pathways in different cross-cultural contexts.

Zusammenfassung: Im vorliegenden Diskussionsbeitrag wird der Forschungsstand zu Unterrichtsqualität für verschiedene Fachdidaktiken – naturwissenschaftliche Fächer, Sport und Geschichte – vor dem Hintergrund der allgemeinen empirischen Unterrichtsforschung vergleichend diskutiert. Als Vergleichsgrundlage wurde ein Framework mit den sieben Dimensionen Auswahl und Thematisierung von Inhalten und Fachmethoden, kognitive Aktivierung, Unterstützung des Übens, formatives Assessment, Unterstützung des Lernens aller Schülerinnen und Schüler, sozio-emotionale Unterstützung und Klassenführung genutzt (Praetorius und Charalambous 2018). Es zeigte sich, dass die Fachspezifität von der fokussierten Ebene abhing: Während eine Ergänzung des Frameworks auf Ebene der sieben Dimensionen nicht notwendig erschien, waren auf der Ebene der Subdimensionen und insbesondere der diesen Subdimensionen zugeordneten beobachtbaren Indikatoren fachspezifische Anpassungen und Ergänzungen erforderlich. Der Beitrag schließt mit einer Diskussion zentraler Herausforderungen für zukünftige Forschung.