The influence of student status on student interactions and experiences during a sport education unit

Background: Curriculum models that include group work and allow student decision-making and responsibility within physical education classes have become increasingly popular. Models such as Sport Education are likely to facilitate different and potentially better quality experiences for students. One of the underlying premises of Sport Education is that it requires social interaction among students during group activities because of the many roles and responsibilities involved. Elizabeth Cohen has extensively studied group work in classroom curriculum models. Although group work is widely viewed as a strategy for teaching that promotes learning, Cohen found disparities in participation and achievement of students during group work relative to student status. Aims: Given the proliferation of curriculum models utilizing group work in physical education and the research from classroom settings on the role of status in group work, the purpose of this study was to explore students' social interactions and their perspectives on what happened during a Sport Education unit. More specifically, we sought to explore the influence of student status, if any, on group interactions and decisions. Method: Because our intent was to study students' social interactions at a micro-level across an entire Sport Education unit, one focus team of five boys and five girls aged 11–12 years were selected from a physical education class of 80 students. The Sport Education unit consisted of 26 lessons of modified soccer taught by the physical education teacher. Qualitative methods of research were employed to explore students' experiences and perceptions while working in groups. Data collection included: a student questionnaire; videotapes and observations; group and individual interviews with students; informal interviews with the physical education teacher; informal interviews with the students' classroom teachers; student journals; and field notes. Analysis was completed by transcribing, labeling, and copying all data. Patton's methods of content analysis were applied to all data by coding and categorizing patterns in the data to produce more comprehensive themes. The credibility of the data was checked to minimize personal bias. Results: Students in this setting specifically defined status based on four characteristics: economic level, attractiveness, athletic involvement, and personality. It was evident that status did influence students' social interactions during group work in terms of whose opinions were acknowledged and which students were silenced. Student status also influenced decisions about playing time during the Sport Education unit based on skill level and gender of the students. Conclusions: As is evident from this study, it is important to understand the role status plays during group work, how to recognize the negative impacts of status, and how to prevent these problems when students are working in groups. Also, we should note that status is specific to the environment and defined by the student culture in which the group work is taking place. Curriculum models such as Sport Education provide us with a medium for addressing the influence of status during group work, as long as we recognize it and value its importance.