Digital video: the impact
on children’s learning
experiences in primary
physical education
Joe O’Loughlin
Saint Columba’s Boys National School,
Douglas, Co. Cork
31st March 2012
ESAI Conference
Introduction
• The purpose of this study was to examine children’s perspectives and
experiences of using digital video in primary physical education. The
impact on motivation, feedback, self-assessment and learning was
examined.
• Overview of presentation
Background
Project Outline
Findings
Conclusions
Recommendations
Background
• Traditional analogue video devices have long been used in schools to
produce videos for school plays, sporting events or news reports (Beilke
and Stuve, 2004).
• In recent times, the emergence of digital video has created cheaper,
smaller and lighter cameras which provide improved picture quality.
• Consequently, increased attention has been paid to using digital video
as an educational resource in the classroom.
Digital Video and Motivation
Such benefits have emerged as a common theme among
various studies where digital video was used within the
classroom environment (Kibble and Cayley, 2003; Weir and
Connor, 2009; Jambor and Weekes, 1995).
Integrating Digital video
into the class room has
been seen to be a powerful
motivator amongst students
and spurs them on to
further develop their
learning.
Digital Video in Physical Education
• Research has shown that using video to provide video feedback and
video modelling can aide skill learning across a wide range of sports:
Atienza et al. (1998) Guadagnoli et al.,
(2002)
Williams (1989)
Digital Video in Physical Education
• With video feedback, Hamlin (2005) allowed primary school students to
watch their own performances individually and found that students were
able to analyse errors independently using checklists.
• Digital video has also been used for assessment in Physical Education.
In an Irish study (Weir and Connor, 2009), students used digital video to
create digital assessment portfolios of their work. Dunning, Heath and
Suls (2004) in their appraisal of self-assessment research
recommended learners to review a video of their action improve self-
assessment’s accuracy.
Assessment for Learning
“The concept of assessment for learning (AfL) extends the potential of formative
assessment. It emphasises the child‟s active role in his/her own learning, in that
the teacher and child agree what the outcomes of the learning should be and the
criteria for judging to what extent the outcomes have been achieved”
(NCCA, 2007, p. 9)
Source: www.kinberg.net
Assessment for Learning in Physical Education
• Research from Ireland has shown that where Assessment for
Learning methods are used, the quality of student learning as well
as their attitude towards the subject improves (McPhail, 2010).
• Siedentop and Tannehill (2000) highlight the role of self-
assessments in supporting learning in physical education:
‘...if our intent is to make assessment an educative process to
improve their own performance, then students must be able to
assess and modify their own performance’ (Siedentop and Tannehill,
2000, p. 200).
Project Outline
• This project sought to examine the potential of digital video to provide
feedback, support self-regulation of learning and act as a motivating
force in primary Physical Education.
• Undertaken with a class of 22 Third and Fourth Class Children; 12 boys
and 10 girls.
• 10 week project using Basketball; Games Strand, Primary School
Physical Education Curriculum (DES, 1999). This was divided into two 5
week blocks. Three skills were concentrated on over each 5 week
period.
• Data was collected through focus group interviews, digital video content
and teacher research diary.
Project Development
Observing video model of skill performance
Practise of skill with video feedback
Self-assessing skill performance
Further practise of skill
Week 1
Week
4
Week
5
Sample of
children self-
assessments
Example of video modelling videos
Results: skill learning -Video 1
Results: skill learning -Video 2
Results: Skill learning
• There was clear evidence of skill learning across all six individual skills.
• The children asserted that they had improved their performance in all
six skills;
„When I started I was doing the dribble all wrong, and now I can do it nearly
perfectly‟ (Jenny, Focus Group, post intervention)
• They believed the provision of feedback through viewing their
performances on video was central to their learning.;
„You could replay the clip over and over to see what you did right and what
you did wrong‟ (Jenny, focus group, post intervention)
Results: Skill Learning
• Working with the video clips resulted in more directed skill practice. The videos allowed the children to work on specific aspects of their skill and analyse what exactly they did wrong.
„You‟d know what you did wrong and then you could correct what you did wrong the next time you practise‟
(Roisín, focus group, post intervention).
• However, not all children were able to use the feedback through examination of the video to improve their performance:
„Despite being extremely interested in improving her skills, Niamh finds some of them difficult particularly the layup and free throw. She displayed little progress when compared to some of the other children. While she examined self-assessments, she is unable to correct her technique‟
(Research Diary, 13/04/2011).
Results: Self Assessments
• Reports from the teacher-researcher diary suggest the self-assessment
results were closely linked to the teacher’s assessment data.
„While undertaking the teacher assessments of the basketball skills it is
clear that the children and teacher‟s assessment are extremely closely
linked. The children identified similar correct and incorrect aspects of
their skill performances‟
(Research Diary, 13/04/2011)
• Following the project, the children were mainly positive when asked how
they found the self-assessment process
„I think it‟s good to do it yourself. The teacher can‟t help everyone all the
time and you can do it at your own pace‟ (Thomas, focus group, post
intervention)
Results: Self Assessments
• Regarding differences in terms of gender, it seems that the girls in the
class enjoyed the self-regulation involved whereas some of the boys
preferred the teacher assessment;
„Yeah I liked it; the videos make it very easy to give yourself marks‟
(Deirdre, focus group, post intervention).
„It was ok, but giving yourself marks isn‟t as good as the teacher giving the
marks....the teacher knows more‟ (James, focus group, post
intervention).
Results: Motivation
• Throughout the intervention, most children displayed high levels of
motivation and enthusiasm for using digital video. This corroborates with
much of the empirical research from the wider educational field
(Goldman, 2004; Kearney and Schuck, 2006).
• Participants suggested that the video might act as a motivation to
learning:
„if you were watching yourself and you saw yourself not doing good, you‟d
want to try to improve‟ (Roisín, focus group, pre intervention)
Yeah, you‟d like to look good when the camera is on you‟ (John, focus
group, pre intervention)
Results: Motivation
• Self-regulating (Zimmerman, 1989; Zimmerman, Bonner and Kovach,
1996) of the video feedback and assessment also contributed to their
motivation to learn and their engagement with skill practice.
„At break time, many of the children took out basketballs to the court in
order to practise their chest pass, free throw and dribble for the self-
assessments. They appeared anxious to perform well for the recording.‟
(Research Diary, 26/03/11).
• The technological aspect of the project was to the fore when children
were quizzed regarding what aspect of the project appealed most to
them:
„That we got to go on the laptops‟ (Jenny, focus group, post intervention)
„That we learned how to use the Digital cameras‟ (Michaela, focus group,
post intervention).
Conclusions
• The use of Digital Video was observed to produce gains in children’s
overall performance in all skill areas. This confirms the notion children
use the visual feedback and modelling provided by the videos to correct
technique and consequently improve performance (Herbert and Landin,
1994).
• Self-assessments using Digital Video was shown to provide accurate
and valid assessments. This supports the view of Black and William
(1998) who state that learners are remarkably dependable and objective
in assessing themselves.
• The comments from the children regarding the use of Digital recording
equipment as well as laptops suggested that this was an aspect of the
project the children enjoyed. The provision of video feedback and video
modelling also acted as a source of motivation to the children during this
project.
Recommendations and future research
Recommendations
• The absence of modern
Digital Video equipment in
schools could be a
significant barrier
preventing teachers from
using video feedback and
modelling in Physical
Education.
• The use of Assessment for
Learning methods, such as
self-assessment, have to be
more widely publicised.
Future Research
• Investigating the
effectiveness of Digital
Video use in the learning
other PE strands may prove
a fruitful area of exploration.
• Digital Video was used in
this case for self-
assessment but could also
be applied to peer-
assessment or through the
compilation of portfolios.
