Competition as a Pedagogical Tool to Develop Confidence, Competence, and Enjoyment in Primary Physical Education Lessons

Synonyms

Competition; Pedagogy; Confidence; Physical competence

Introduction

The effects of competition in physical education (PE) and school sport have generated polarized discourse among academics for years. Some praise competition for developing necessary life skills, while others perceive competition as the end-product of elitist approaches to school sport that focus on winning above all else, and which offer little value to the physical development for all.

Howells et al. (2018) propose a “Model for Effective Learning in Competition” (MELC) that encourages teachers to plan more effectively to introduce competition as part of the teaching and learning process. As well as reviewing the MELC, this entry will report on recent research into the practical application of the MELC in two primary schools in South East England delivering physical activity challenges designed around fundamental movement skills. The research analyses the effectiveness of competition as a pedagogical process...