The Effects of a Physical Literacy and Physical Education Professional Development Intervention with Welsh- Medium Year Six (10 – 11 years old) Primary School Teachers on Pupils' Physical Literacy

The well-documented shortage of PE specialists in primary schools in the UK is deemed problematic as the primary school age is a critical period in the development of physical literacy. The aim of the present study was to... [ view full abstract ]

The well-documented shortage of PE specialists in primary schools in the UK is deemed problematic as the primary school age is a critical period in the development of physical literacy. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a continual professional development (CPD) intervention to enhance primary teachers’ knowledge, understanding and application of physical literacy.

A three-month needs assessment period was conducted with three year six primary teachers from one ‘city’ and one ‘valley’ school. Based on teachers’ individual needs during the needs assessment phase, a six-month intervention was conducted with teachers. This included an interactive workshop and weekly collaborative discussions between the researcher and teachers to plan and reflect on the content and pedagogy of PE lessons. Year six pupils’ physical literacy development was quantitatively assessed every three months using validated tools of the physical literacy domains to support qualitative observations. Qualitative methods used included structured observations, reflections, semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Inductive and deductive thematic analysis was employed on qualitative data and general linear modelling statistical analyses on quantitative data.

Findings of the CPD intervention demonstrated three key themes, namely, a growth in teachers’ confidence and competence to deliver high quality PE lessons; activity-specific knowledge; and, knowledge of physical literacy. Creating a supportive,collaborative, ongoing, job-embedded and instructional-focused CPD intervention was successful in ensuring a sustained change in teachers’ PE practice. Year six pupils significantly improved their physical literacy beyond natural growth and maturation as a result of the change in teaching practice during the six-month intervention.

This project was the first to devise and implement a successful physical literacy CPD intervention with primary school teachers that pragmatically works within a complex, school-based environment. This research offered a set of processes that were applied in a nationally funded project by Sport Wales.