Background and purpose: Sport is considered a means of responding to social problems (Nicholson & Hoye, 2008) and helping young people to get along with their lives. In German Schools, extra-curricular sport programs offer... [ view full abstract ]
Background and purpose: Sport is considered a means of responding to social problems (Nicholson & Hoye, 2008) and helping young people to get along with their lives. In German Schools, extra-curricular sport programs offer possibilities for sport as a kind of social work. Because of the lack of both a curriculum and of special education in this field, teachers are left alone to develop their own approach. How do they come to a working model?
Methods: We present a qualitative interview study that examines how sport in extra-curricular school programs can help to develop social and personal capital. Therefor we analyzed semi-structured interviews with teachers (n=26) working at schools with students that demonstrated special social needs. On the one hand we focus on social aims and effects and on the other hand on strategies and concepts.
Results: The results show that teachers offering extra-curricular sports programs strive for benevolence and authenticity to support pupils with special social needs. Thus, they mostly don’t use conventional teaching methods but prefer experiences within a “real sport” that helps young people to acquire “real life” skills (for example self-discipline through boxing).
Conclusions andimplications: It isparadox that teachers have to avoid educational standards if they want to act in socialably-responsible ways. When it comes to confronting social problems, the key skills of relationship-based social work (Ruch, Turney & Ward,2010) seem to be more important than any over-all educational concept. This conclusion has led us to examine the question about a special training or a Master degree in the field of social working with the means of sport.
References:
Nicholson, M. & Hoye, R. (2008). Sport and Social Capital. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
Ruch, G. Turney, A. & Ward, D.(2010). Relationship-Based Social Work: Getting to the Heart of Practice. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
• Empowering practitioners and supporting professional learning , • Innovative perspectives on physical education, physical activity, health and wellbeing a
