Professional Development for Physical Activity and Sport in All-Day Schools – A Teaching Project

Abstract

Introduction and Objectives

Since the nationwide expansion of all-day schools in Germany in 2003, physical activity, movement and sport have been recognised as key components of educational and health promotion within the all-day school setting. Despite political ambitions to provide universal access to all-day schooling by 2026, sustainable structures and binding quality standards for sport pedagogical programmes remain insufficient (Noetzel et al., 2024). In particular, cooperation with external partners raises questions regarding quality standards and the integration of movement-related educational opportunities into all-day schooling.

The university teaching and learning project “BeSS im Ganztag” aims to qualify and professionalise students with regard to educational programmes in physical activity, movement, and sport in schools, while simultaneously contributing to the quality development of these programmes. A particular focus lies on developing potential quality criteria for movement-related educational processes and programmes in all-day schools. The interdisciplinary project is characterised by a strong transfer between research and practice. Co-constructive research and the close collaboration of stakeholders from different fields of educational practice (e.g. sport clubs, health insurances, education consultants) are regarded as key elements for fostering professionalisation, qualification, and quality development.

Methods

The teaching and learning project is evaluated using a mixed-methods design. Students' perceptions and attitudes towards physical activity, movement, and sport in all-day schools, as well as their evaluations of the university course, are assessed using a questionnaire (Klimpki, n.d.) in a pre-post design (Thiel et al., 2013). In addition, qualitative data are collected through an image-based method (Kuckartz & Rädiker, 2024). Participants create graphical representations of their personal conceptions of "good practice" in physical activity, movement and sport within all-day schools.

Results and Discussion

The findings provide insights into students' subjective perspectives on physical activity, movement and sport in all-day schools and highlight opportunities for further qualification and quality development. The results are discussed in relation to the current state of research and offer practice-oriented implications for the further development of movement-related educational programmes in all-day schools. Based on these findings, initial conclusions can be drawn regarding the effective qualification of students for delivering high-quality physical activity, movement, and sport programmes within the all-day school context.

 Literature

Klimpki, T. (n.d.). Übersicht der Messinstrumente zur Bewegten Schule. University of Hamburg. 

Kuckartz, U., & Rädiker, S. (2024). Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse: Methoden, Praxis, Umsetzung mit Software und künstlicher Intelligenz. Beltz Juventa.

Noetzel, I., Becker, L., Gräfin V. Plettenberg, E., & Kehne, M. (2024). Forschungsstand zu Bewegung, Spiel und Sport im schulischen Ganztag in Deutschland: Ein ScopingReview. Forum Kinder- und Jugendsport, 5(1), 70–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43594-024-00123-5

Thiel, A., Teubert, H., & Kleindienst-Cachay, C. (2013). Die „Bewegte Schule“ auf dem Weg in die Praxis. Schneider-Verlag.