Reflective Learning Support in Physical Education (ReLePro)
Development and Evaluation of Reflective Teaching and Learning Methods for Effective and Diversity-Sensitive Physical Education
Project Description
The collaborative project “ReLePro” (Reflexive Learning Process Support in Physical Education), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBFSFJ), aims to develop, test, and sustainably integrate an effective and diversity-sensitive approach to physical education into school practice. The project focuses on combining reflective learning and formative assessment into an innovative form of reflective learning process support. Physical education offers a particularly exciting field of research because diverse dimensions of diversity present both pedagogical challenges and opportunities for subject-specific and cross-curricular learning. At the Braunschweig and Cologne sites, researchers and physical education teachers are working closely together within the framework of a Design-Based Research (DBR) process.
Over the course of three development cycles, the concept is being iteratively tested, analyzed, and refined in collaboration with physical education teachers and secondary school students. The teachers are not only actively involved in the development process; they also subsequently test the concept in their own classrooms to assess its practical applicability. The research is conducted from various perspectives within educational science and sports pedagogy. It examines changes in the classroom regarding learning effectiveness, sensitivity to diversity, and the development of teachers’ so-called “professional perspective.” Methods such as video recordings, interviews, and written surveys are used in a mixed-methods case study with a longitudinal design, which serves as the basis for the evaluation and further development of the concept. The project’s findings will be compiled and published in a target-audience-oriented manner in collaboration with partners from all phases of teacher education. The aim is to ensure the sustainable integration of reflective learning process support into the education system—from university training to school-based application.
Subproject 3: The “Professional Perspective”
This subproject, based at the German Sport University Cologne (Prof. Dr. Sabine Reuker, Alina Kulüke), focuses on the professional development processes of teachers as a key factor in the successful implementation of reflective learning support. Specifically, it examines how the “professional perspective”—and thus the perceptions, interpretations, and decision-making of physical education teachers—changes over the course of the project. The participating physical education teachers are interviewed using existing video vignettes and open-ended guiding questions. The data is analyzed using qualitative content analysis and established categorization systems. In addition, the professional perspective is also assessed through group interviews in so-called video clubs. The insights gained from this not only serve to provide a deeper analysis of the changes in the professional perspective but also offer valuable input for the joint further development of teaching tools.