Applying Alternative Assessment in Physical Education Classes to Foster Good Sportsmanship Behaviors

written by Wei (Willa) Bian, assistant professor, Slippery Rock University

Assessment serves many important roles in students' learning processes. Good assessment not only documents student performance, but also enhances student learning in many ways. In recent years, alternative assessment methods have been introduced and used in physical education classes. The application of pre-determined checklists, or rating scales, allow teachers to quickly assess student performance in a more authentic way, especially during game play.

Secondary school students love doing many different types of physical activities and sport games in physical education classes. Game activities provide students great opportunities to practice motor skills and game strategies in a fun and competitive setting. In addition, physical education classes are an ideal learning environment for students to learn positive attitudes toward physical activity participation and good sportsmanship behaviors.

The focus of this article is on how to develop and apply a rating scale during game play to foster good sportsmanship behaviors in physical education classes.

The goal: teachers work with students to develop a rating scale to be used in assessing student game play performance. Although the rating scale can be created as an holistic scale which addresses student skill application in the psychomotor domain, game strategy application in the cognitive domain, and sportsmanship behaviors in the affective domain, the rating scale can also include 'positive attitude' and 'sportsmanship behaviors.'

First, select three sportsmanship characteristics: Divide students into small groups and ask each group to select three positive traits, or characteristics, that contribute to fair game play. Teachers can provide a list of good sportsmanship characteristics for the groups to select from, characteristics such as respect, cooperation, teamwork, self-control, honesty, courage, perseverance, caring for others, etc. Students can discuss them, and choose three top characteristics they want to work with.

Second, determine observable behaviors: Once three positive traits are chosen, teachers have students write down observable behaviors (behaviors of the 'playing student' ) under each characteristic. For example, passing the ball to a teammate in soccer or basketball is an observable positive behavior that shows good teamwork.

Third, decide the number of levels of performance: The next step of developing a rating scale is to decide how many levels of performance (usually 3-5) will be assessed. If students are the driving force in developing a rating scale, starting out with 3 levels of performance will work well. Table 1 is an example that teachers can provide to groups as a assessment model to work with.

TABLE 1

Fourth, develop criteria for each level: Instruct students to work on the high level or targeted performance first - what they expect the best sportsmanship behaviors in the game to be. Next, have students identify unsportsmanlike behaviors at the low level column (unacceptable), then the level in between the two (acceptable). Guide students in using descriptive terms or sentences to differentiate each level of performance.

Fifth, make the rating scale part of the overall grade: Depending on the class grading policy, teachers can assign point value to each level of performance, allocating more point value to the higher levels. Make the game assessment points part of the overall student grade score. Students will be more motivated to demonstrate good sportsmanship behaviors when the assessment rating scale is used in game play.

Sixth, use the rating scale during game play: The rating scale is used as a teacher assessment tool, to assess student performance during game play. But, it is difficult for one teacher to observe all students at the same time, especially when multiple teams are performing in tournament play. Also, if gym space is limited for game play, some students may be sitting on the side waiting their turn. During this 'sitting out' time, students can use the rating scale to assess their 'playing' peers. Using peer assessment during game play serves two purposes: a) it helps students understand expected positive behaviors and associated criteria, and b) it will keep students occupied with cognitive learning tasks to prevent off-task behaviors from occurring.

In order to ensure valid results of peer assessment, teachers must have a thorough plan for assessment administration. Here are a few recommendations for planning and utilizing peer assessment for physical activity or sport game play.

1. Set up teams for the game: Divide students into 4 teams. Let two teams play the game, while the other two teams perform peer assessment. Ask each student to observe one or two 'game play' students. Make sure that all students of the playing team will be observed by peers from the assessment team. Teachers can provide a playing team roster to the assessing team so that no one is left out.
2. Get things prepared: Provide one sheet of the rating scale, and one pen or pencil to each student in class. Explain the criteria for each level of performance, and ask a few questions to check for understanding. Tell students to practice honesty and mark the score as objectively as they can when they observe and assess their peers, based on the pre-determined criteria.
3. Observe and assess: Allow an equal amount of time for students to play the game and to perform peer assessment. For example, the teacher can schedule team A and team B to play first for 10 minutes. At the same time Team C will observe Team A's performance, and Team D observes Team B. After 10 minutes playing time, stop the game and gather students together for a brief discussion of the best sportsmanship behaviors they had observed. Then start another game play by having Team C play Team D, while Team A and B observe and assess.
4. Summarize and report assessment results: Collect all completed rating scale sheets from the teams. The Teacher can compare student peer assessment scores with his/her own observation notes to see if any assessment scores don't truly reflect a student's performance on the court. If the majority of the scores are valid, teacher should praise the entire class for practicing honesty during the assessment.

In summary, the process of developing and applying a rating scale for game play can help students understand the difference between good sportsmanship behaviors and unsportsmanlike behaviors. Pre-determined target criteria encourages students to demonstrate their best sportsmanship characteristics during game play. In addition, levels of performance that are clearly described enable students to observe their peers' performance in a more objective way.

Reference:
Lacy, A. (2011). Measurement & Evaluation in Physical Education and Exercise Science, 6th Ed., Boston: Benjamin Cummings.

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