Effects of Situated Game Teaching Through Set Plays on Soccer Tactical Knowledge Among Turkish Secondary School Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study was to examine the effects of a curricular model named Situated Game Teaching through Set Plays (SGTSP) on secondary students’ tactical knowledge in a 10-lesson soccer unit. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a repeated measure was used to examine the effectiveness of the SGTSP model in comparison with a technique-focused approach. Participants’ perceptions of SGTSP were collected through reflection journals throughout the unit. A convenient sample of 27 sixth graders from two classes participated in this study. Data were collected from a tactical knowledge test and reflection journals. A 3 × 2 × 2 factorial analysis of variance with a repeated measure was conducted to analyze the data. Responses to reflection journals were analyzed by deductive analysis and constant comparison. Results: Participants’ tactical knowledge in the SGTSP condition improved significantly more than those in the comparison condition over time. Conclusions: The findings provided evidence supporting the effectiveness of the SGTSP model on developing students’ tactical knowledge as compared to a technique-focused approach.