A Description of Academic Work and Student Performance during a Middle School Volleyball Unit

Abstract

This article describes the movement tasks (Rink, 1985) in which students engaged during a 14-lesson volleyball unit in an eighth-grade physical education class, and the differential motor skill responses of high- and low-skilled target students during the practice of these tasks. Audio and videotaped records were made of each lesson. Analysis focused on the identification of the movement tasks that were verbally presented by the teacher during the lessons, the determination of students’ level of engagement in these tasks, and the frequency and rate of motor skill responses/successful motor skill responses during task practice for three high- and three low-skilled students. Thirteen major movement tasks were identified that formed a simple to complex progression of activities. A high level of consistent student engagement in tasks was observed, as well as differential performance outcomes for students of high/low skill levels. The results reveal the complexity of providing appropriate instruction for different skill levels in a class. Implications for research and teacher education programs are discussed.