Team Teaching Models in Primary Physical Education: Effects on Basic Motor Competencies and Self-Reported Physical...

Area of Science:

• Physical Education
• Child Development
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Inconsistent provision of specialist physical education (PE) in primary schools necessitates evaluating different instructional models.
• Team teaching configurations require comparative analysis to understand their impact on student development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of distinct team teaching configurations on students' basic motor competencies (MC) and self-reported physical literacy (PL).
• To identify optimal instructional models for enhancing motor skills and physical literacy in primary school children.

Main Methods:

• A cluster-randomized trial involving 266 primary school students (grades 1-4) in Slovakia.
• Five distinct instructional models were implemented over five months, with two 45-minute PE lessons weekly.
• Statistical analyses included the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal-Wallis H-test, and Cohen's r for effect size assessment.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found across teaching models for Self-Movement, Object-Movement, or physical literacy (PL).
• While most models showed within-group MC gains, effect sizes were weak to moderate; the AT+PET model showed the strongest improvement in Self-Movement.
• The GT+C model, though effective for objective skills, detrimentally affected self-perceived physical literacy, while AT+PET and GT+PET showed moderate positive changes in PL.

Conclusions:

• No single team teaching model demonstrated superiority for improving overall motor competence or physical literacy.
• Collaborative instruction, particularly involving specialist PE teachers (PETs), is recommended, with models like AT+PET and GT+PET showing promise.
• Policy and implementation strategies should support co-teaching and resource allocation for collaborative planning to enhance PE quality and embed evidence-based practices.