Student game-play performance in invasion games following three consecutive hybrid Sport Education seasons

This study was the first to examine game performance according to the tactical structures of invasion games throughout three consecutive model-based units. Twenty-six seventh grade students participated in three Sport Education seasons (basketball, handball, and football) taught through the tactical framework Invasion Games Competence model. Team membership remained the same throughout the three seasons and pre- and post-test game-play of three-a-side games involving the same opponent teams was assessed. Measures included overall game performance and four tactical structures indices: creating scoring opportunities (CSO); setting up an attack (SUA); prevent CSO; and prevent SUA. A 3 (group) × 2 (time) repeated measures analysis of variance tested differences between sports in the five performance measures. Correlations between the four tactical structures and game performance were tested and a hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the predictive weight of the four tactical structures indices on game performance. While there were significant improvements in game performance of handball and football, but not in basketball, the breaking down of performance into tactical structures indices showed improvements in all seasons. The correlations increased across time between tactical structures indices and game performance and the predictive model of game performance extended to include the four tactical structures. Performance improvements were associated with contextual features of extended team membership and consequent attunement of game-play interpersonal dynamics, nature of peer-teaching mediation, and game forms design. Future research should examine the effects on game performance development of student augmented participation in problem-solving processes and asymmetric opposition game forms.