The role of digital technology in the assessment of children's movement competence during primary school Physical Education lessons

There is currently limited support for teachers to assess children’s movement competence and this presents a problem in effectively supporting children’s movement development (Giblin, Collins and Button, 2014; Morley et... [ view full abstract ]

There is currently limited support for teachers to assess children’s movement competence and this presents a problem in effectively supporting children’s movement development (Giblin, Collins and Button, 2014; Morley et al., 2015). To solve this problem, we explore the possibilities of using digital technology for the assessment, recording and monitoring of children’s movement competence within primary school physical education (PE). Resulting from the findings of a three-year research project undertaken to develop a movement assessment tool intended for teachers to use during PE lesson time, first-hand accounts of primary teachers and movement experts are used to detail the sequential and exploratory nature of the process of designing, developing and refining the app based assessment. Drawing upon theoretical constructs related to meaningful assessment within PE (Hay and Penney, 2009) and the generic use of digital technology, an applied and critical perspective on the realities of using digital technology to enhance our ability to assess children’s movement competence is provided. We discuss how we encountered experts’ and users’ dilemmas and how these are overcome. Finally, we provide a framework of practical principles for the use of digital technology to assess movement competence and establish a platform for future practice and research in this field.