1. Integrating Cooperative Games in Elementary Physical Education
Research Proposal Presentation by
Susan Neumann

2. Introduction Purpose of this study:
To investigate the effects of integrating cooperative activities in elementary physical education programs
Support from other research:
Through games and play, children have the opportunity to develop their personalities and socialize with others
However, children do not always exemplify positive behaviors when playing with their peers

3. Common scenario: Lack of. Fun. Disinterest in cooperation. tarnished
Common scenario: Lack of Fun Disinterest in cooperation tarnished physical activity skills
Solution:
Teach cooperative activities in physical education classes
What’s special about physical education classes?
They present opportunities to help children acquire positive behaviors through movement

4. What is cooperative learning?
Students work together in small groups to solve a common problem
Students are responsible for the success of their group & individual learning
Focus is on the process used, not the outcome (McBride, 2004)

5. Cooperative vs. Traditional
Student-centered
Cooperative skills taught
Open-ended ?s, reflection
Focus on problem solving
Direct instruction
Cooperative skills not taught
Simple regurgitation of skills
Focus on competition

6. Why Cooperative Learning?
Studies have shown various benefits that can be achieved from the use of problem solving activities:
Communication skills
Positive social interaction
Critical thinking development
Reduced aggressive behavior
Increased self-esteem

7. Communication Skills
Mutual understandings of others’ previous knowledge (Gillies & Ashman, 1998)
Construct new information based on previous knowledge
Without skills, some students would be lost during an activity and miss an opportunity to develop new life skills
Should be taught in a progressive manner, by starting with activities that require little or no talking, to activities that need a large amount of verbal stimulation for success (Halliday, 1999)

8. Positive Social Interaction
One of the main emphases of physical education:
To promote socialization through movement interaction (Graham, Holt/Hale & Parker, 2004)
Behavior includes:
Seeing and helping others in time of need
Understanding the effect of personal behavior on others (Polvi & Telama, 2000)
By solving problems through coop. activities:
Students are engaged in social interactions with their peers through the activity, sharing equipment, and competition (Smith & Karp, 1997)
Students must learn to accept ideas from each member of their group and to compromise with others

9. Social Interaction Studies
In Finland by Polvi and Telama:
5th grade phys. ed. classes
Results:
Students cooperated more with their peers throughout the school year & also accumulated more friends
In Montreal by Dyson (2001):
5th & 6th grade phys. ed. classes
Low-skilled students felt more accepted as a part of the group
Students worked together and encouraged each other more frequently

10. Social Interaction (contd.)
3. In the Pacific Northwest by Smith and Karp:
One 3rd grade class
Results:
Cooperative activities helped to enhance social skills of students, but did not always assure social success
Researchers propose students should be introduced to social skills before they reach third grade (social status already established)

11. Critical Thinking To implement:
Challenges must have multiple solutions
Students are required to actively become part of the process in trying to find the solution
Groups experiment by trial and error
Proper facilitation:
Teachers need to progressively integrate tasks (Buchanan, A., Martin, E., Childress, R., Howard, C., Williams, L., Bedsole, B., & Ferry, M., 2002)
Linking learning:
Students can apply newly found knowledge to life issues such as diversity, the environment, and socialization

12. Critical Thinking Studies
In Nebraska by Fullerton and Madjeski (1996):
Teaching program: Group Challenge Experience (GCE)
Results:
Discussing the complex social issues behind the events is the most important component of the cooperative lesson
Without helping students to bridge these connections, activities simply remain entertainment
In Texas by McBride and Bonnette (1995):
71 at-risk boys (minorities, single-parent families, financially unstable)
There were significant increases in at-risk students’ critical thinking scores
Students were also able to generalize strategies to other contexts by the use of high-level transfer

13. Reducing Aggressive Behavior
Through participation in physical activity, students have a chance to release negative energy and channel aggressive behavior into a more positive direction (Ramsey & Rank, 1997)
But frequently:
Lack of Hostile Participation
Sportsmanship Environment Unattractive, Anxiety Develops
Focus:
On cooperative, not competitive games
Students to work together instead of against each other toward a common goal
No defined winners and losers, only success
If cooperative activities are introduced early on to children, they can provide an alternative means to violence and aggressiveness (Ramsey & Rank)

14. Behavior Studies In Nevada by Bay-Hintz, Peterson & Quilitich (1994):
Participants: 70 preschool children
Results:
Cooperative games: Coop. behaviors aggression
Competitive games: Coop. behaviors aggression
2. In Canada by Gibbons, Ebbeck and Weiss (1995):
Fair Play for Kids curriculum (problem-solving activities) applied in physical education classes and classroom
452 elementary children
Fair play strategies positively affected behaviors of students

15. Behavior Studies (contd.)
3. In Arizona by Quinn (2002):
Coop. learning to reduce antisocial behaviors in 2nd grade boys
Results:
More engaged in learning, less likely to act out during cooperative units
Quinn admits that the boys were denied access to the playground to display aggressive behavior, leading to the fact that results could have differed had this setting been taken into effect.

16. Self-Esteem Success in confidence participation
an activity/skill increases as adult
Thus, confidence in physical abilities may lead to positive feelings of self-esteem (Graham, Holt/Hale & Parker).
In coop. activities, children can have the chance to develop self-confidence through the process of working with others and expanding problem solving skills
Finding solutions leads to competence and results in both physical and emotional self assurance (Beckmann & Wichmann).

17. Self-Esteem Studies In New Zealand by Donaldson and Ronan (2006):
Participants: 203 young adolescents
Results:
Greater participation in sports was related to enhanced emotional and behavioral well-being
In order to help students achieve this level of emotional well-being, physical educators need to focus less on competitive activities, more on cooperative games
In Canada by Ebbeck and Gibbons (1998):
Participants: 120 children
Team Building Through Physical Challenges (TBPC) curriculum.
TBPC had a positive influence on the self-concepts of physical education students

18. Need for Study?
Many of studies completed outside of U.S. or different parts of U.S.
Finland Arizona
Montreal Nevada
Canada Pacific Northwest
New Zealand Nebraska
Texas
Studies only focus on one benefit, do not show combined effects of cooperative activities
Some studies not done in physical education setting

19. Purpose
To investigate the effects of integrating cooperative activities in elementary physical education programs

20. Methods (Participants)
1 Elementary School in Southern California:
2 Randomly selected fifth grade classes
2 physical education specialists
1 fifth grade class:
One physical education specialist
Traditional physical education lessons
1 fifth grade class:
One physical education specialist
Cooperative physical education lessons

21. Methods (Procedures)
Obtain informed consent and health clearances from all participants, follow appropriate human subjects procedures
Lesson plans for traditional physical education classes given to one teacher
Lesson plans for cooperative physical education classes given to another teacher
Both fifth grade classes meet with a physical education teacher for 30 minutes, 3 times a week for 12 weeks

22. Methods (Data Collection)
Physical education teachers and classroom teachers will be interviewed to rate students’ levels of communication, social interaction, critical thinking skills and behaviors before and after intervention
Students will be interviewed to determine their social interaction levels before and after intervention
Students complete self-report batteries before and after intervention (to determine levels of self-esteem)
Field observations take place during each physical education class

23. Hypothesis
Students participating in cooperative activities as part of a physical education program will exhibit signs of increased communication, positive social interaction, critical thinking skills, reduced aggressive behavior, and higher self-esteem

24. Projected Outcomes The findings support the researcher’s hypothesis
Students involved in cooperative physical education:
Both physical education and classroom teachers reported increased signs of:
Communication
Positive social interaction
Critical thinking skills
Reduced aggressive behavior
Higher self-esteem
Students reported higher scores on self-report batteries
When interviewed at the conclusion of the intervention, students who normally felt left out in games reported more inclusion and participation with other students

25. Potential Risks Include/are not limited to: Injury Fatigue Dehydration
Muscle soreness
Heart attack
Emotional distress
Social discomfort
Downstream negative effects (lawsuits, loss of teaching license, death)

26. Steps to Minimize Risks
Include/are not limited to:
Highlighting safety procedures for each lesson
Quality physical education teachers trained in CPR/First Aid
Stretching/warm-up/cool down
Water breaks
Progression of skills (developmentally appropriate)
Health clearances for all participants
Maintaining positive learning environment

27. Benefits Along with: Increased communication skills
Positive social interaction
Critical thinking development
Reduced aggressive behavior
Increased self-esteem
Other benefits associated with physical activity (weight loss, confidence, healthy heart, endurance)
Students could start to apply the concepts in other settings (at home, playing with friends, working in a classroom)

28. Significance
Potential to inspire children to be physically active for a lifetime
Promote a positive learning atmosphere by increasing cooperative behavior and reducing aggressive behavior
Spread knowledge about the effects of cooperative physical education to teachers, parents and the community
Fill a void in the research field

29. Qualifications
B.S. in Kinesiology (Pedagogy) from Pennsylvania State University
Instructional I K-12 Health & Physical Education Teaching Certificate
Volunteer teacher for Project Health Zone, a CSUN research project
Experience teaching a large variety of cooperative activities during student teaching at Garnet Valley Elementary School (Glen Mills, PA)
Lifeguard, CPR, AED & First Aid Certified

30. References
Bay-Hintz, A., Peterson, R., & Quilitch, H. (1994). Cooperative games: a way to modify aggressive and cooperative behaviors in young children. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27(3),
Beckmann, H., & Wichmann, K. (2005). The acquisition of motor skills – A problem-solving approach. The International Journal of Physical Education, 42(3),
Buchanan, A., Martin, E., Childress, R., Howard, C., Williams, L., Bedsole, B., & Ferry, M. (2002). Integrating elementary physical education and science: A cooperative problem-solving approach. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 73(2),
Dyson, B. (2001). Cooperative learning in an elementary physical education program. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20,
Ebbeck, V. & Gibbons, S. (1998). The effect of a team building program on the self-conceptions of grade 6 and 7 physical education students. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 20,
Fullerton, J., & Madjeski, H. (1996). Group initiative strategies for addressing social issues. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 67(5),
Gibbons, S., Ebbeck, V., & Weiss, M. (1995). Fair play for kids: Effects on the moral development of children in physical education. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 66(3),
Gillies, R. & Ashman, A. (1998). Behavior and interactions of children in cooperative groups in lower and middle elementary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(4),
Graham, G., Holt/Hale, S., & Parker, M. (2004). Children Moving. (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Halliday, N. (1999). Developing self-esteem through challenge education experiences. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 70(6),
McBride, R. (2004). If you structure it, they will learn…critical thinking in physical education classes. The Clearing House, 77(3),
McBride, R. & Bonnette, R. (1995). Teacher and at-risk students’ cognitions during open-ended activities: Structuring the learning environment for critical thinking. Teaching & Teacher Education, 11(4),
Polvi, S., & Telama, R. (2000). The use of cooperative learning as a social enhancer in physical education. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 44(1),
Quinn, M. (2002). Changing antisocial behavior patterns in young boys: A structured cooperative learning approach. Education & Treatment of Children, 24(5),
Ramsey, B., & Rank, B. (1997). Rethinking youth sports. Parks & Recreation, 32(12),
Smith, B., & Karp, G. (1997, March). The effect of a cooperative learning unit on the social skill enhancement of third grade physical education students. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago, IL.