Utilizing Teaching Games for Understanding in Physical Education: Effects on Primary Students’ Metacognition

Abstract

The study sought to confirm the effect of Teaching Games for Understanding (TGFU), a teaching approach in Physical Education (PE), on students’ metacognition. It utilized a quasi-experimental pre and post-test design to two groups of Grade 3 students with comparable abilities. One section was taught using the TGFU approach and another section with Skills-Based Approach (SBA). Paired sample t-test results showed no significant difference on the metacognitive skills of students from both sections after the intervention program. However, further analyses of the qualitative data suggested that the group taught with the TGFU approach had improved in all the metacognition phases and the level of their discussion of concepts and game strategies had moved beyond surface understanding. Implications for effective teaching include the emphasis on integrating either direct or implicit teaching of thinking skills in the teaching of PE. Recommendations for future research are discussed to address the study’s limitation, such as longer time allotment for PE and having a smaller class size.

Keywords: thinking skills, metacognition, teaching games for understanding, physical education