Research Area: Sport Pedagogy
The Sport Pedagogy research program aims to expand the knowledge base in physical education. It focusses on instructional and curriculum research studies that maximize the learning of children, enhance the quality of instruction in physical education, and improve the educational system.
Staff:
• Niki Tsangaridou, professor, coordinator of the research team
• The research team comprised by academics from the University of Cyprus, master and doctoral students, and scholars from Cyprus and other countries.
Research Interests:
• Teaching and teacher education
• Teacher education and school practicum
• Teacher reflection and reflective teaching
• Teaching effectiveness
• Instructional analysis
• Instructional and curriculum models
Research Programs: Current Programs
• Title: Teaching Physical Education in Early Years
• Funding: University of Cyprus annual research activity fund
• Duration: 2020 – present
• Project Coordinator: Niki Tsangaridou
• Scientific Collaborators: Charalambos Charalambous
• Description: This research project aimed to (a) examine early childhood teachers’ practices of teaching physical education and (b) describe the development of the content in physical education in preschool. Early childhood educators participated in the study. Data were collected using two systematic observation instruments. By investigating and understanding early childhood teachers’ teaching PE practices and content development, teacher educators can support teachers in ways that provide more meaningful experiences for children.
• Title: Investigating Preservice Classroom Teachers’ Practices and Views for Teaching Physical Education
• Funding: University of Cyprus annual research activity fund
• Duration: 2019-present
• Project Coordinator: Niki Tsangaridou
• Scientific Collaborators: Charalambos Charalambous
• Description: The purpose of this project was to investigate the teaching quality and the views of preservice classroom teachers (PCTs) physical education (PE) during student teaching. PCTs with PE specialization participated in this study. Data were gathered through systematic observations, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. This research contributes new understanding of the teaching quality and the views of PCTs.
Completed programmes
• Title: Investigating the quality of teaching in secondary physical education
• Funding: The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, The Organizations of Football Prognostics (OPAP), The Cyprus Olympic Committee, and the University of Cyprus
• Duration: 2017-2019.
• Project Coordinator: Niki Tsangaridou
• Scientific Collaborators: Leonidas Kyriakides, Charalambos Charalambous
• Description: The aim of this project was to investigate how quality teaching can impact students’ physical, cognitive, and affective development. Participants in the study were 21 PE specialist teachers who taught PE to 8th-9th-grade and their students (N=702). Student learning in each domain was measured using a pre-/post-performance/written test. Teaching quality was captured through four observations for each teacher, using two different observation systems. Findings showed that by increasing students appropriate practice trials, teachers can have a significant impact on student learning in all domains. Additionally, establishing a supportive environment through teacher-student/student-student interactions, demonstrating the correct skill performance, and engaging students in warm-up activities can significantly contribute to student learning across psychomotor and cognitive domains. Based on these findings, theoretical frameworks related to PE teaching quality can be enhanced with practices that contribute across two or even three learning domains.
• Title: SIA-ProD: An innovative self-improvement approach for the professional development of early educators.
• Website: http://sia-prod.com/el/contact/
• Funding: The European Union [Erasmus + Programme Strategic Partnerships Key Action 2. Grant Agreement Number 2016-1-EL-KA201-023420].
• Duration: 2016-2019
• Project Coordinator: Vasilis Grammatikopoulos, University of Crete, Greece
• Country Coordinator: Niki Tsangaridou
• Description: The focus of this project lies within the training procedures of in-service educators. The project aimed to provide practitioners with the methodology and the instruments needed for self-evaluation and self-improvement in a ‘low cost’ way. To achieve this goal, the project implemented an innovative technique named Discrete Choice Modeling (DCM) in the educational field. The usefulness of the DCM is that it reveals the real and actual preferences of the responders, by extracting their representations about a topic. By implementing the DCM method in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC), the project developed a self-assessment tool and a self-improvement educational package to investigate and in turn to support the way early childhood educators promote physical activities in their classroom. Physical activities in ECEC were selected as the domain for which the Self-Improvement Educational Package (SIEP) initially developed. The project unfolded in four phases: (1) Development of the Teacher Self-Assessment Assistant (TSAA). the self-assessment tool based on the DCM approach was developed; (2) Self-assessment phase: the validity and reliability of the TSAA was tested in a pilot study and then a main study; (3) Development of the Self-Improvement Educational Package (SIEP); and (4) Self-improvement phase. Early educators filled in the TSAA and got feedback about their weaknesses and strengths in promoting physical activities in ECEC. The SIEP was provided to them and based on their self-evaluation they designed their personal training agenda based on the contents of the SIEP. The main innovation of this project was that it attempted to invent an easy, individualized, and ‘low cost’ method for the self-improvement of early childhood educators.
• Title: Integrating Generic and Domain-Specific Factors in Exploring the Association between the Quality of Instruction and Student Learning
• Funding: The University of Cyprus
• Duration: 2013-2015
• Project Coordinator: Charalambos Charalambous
• Scientific Collaborators: Niki Tsangaridou, Leonidas Kyriakides
• Description: The aim of this project, was to explore how both generic and domain-specific practices, individually and jointly, contribute to student learning in mathematics and physical education (PE). To undertake this exploration a sample of 50 elementary teachers who taught mathematics and/or PE to the same students participated in the project. Students’ growth in the two subject matters was measured using instruments that have already been developed and validated in previous studies (Creemers & Kyriakides, 2008, 2009; Kyriakides & Tsangaridou, 2008). Teachers’ generic and domain-specific practices were captured using three observational instruments: an instrument measuring generic teaching skills, which has already been tested and validated in a series of national and international studies, and two instruments, one for each of the domain-specific practices. The project contributed to the theoretical advancement of models on educational effectiveness and provided implication for teacher preservice preparation and in-service professional development.
• Title: EARLY STEPS, COMENIUS Action Program. Promoting Healthy Lifestyle and Social Interaction through Physical Education Activities during Preschool Years
• Funding: The European Union, [EU Socrates Program, Comenius 2.1 Action, project number: 118192-CP-1-2004-1-GR- COMENIUS-C2.1].
• Duration: 2004-2007
• Project Coordinator: Evridiki Zachopoulou, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, Greece
• Country Coordinator: Niki Tsangaridou
• Description: The aim of the ‘Early Steps’ project was to improve the quality of education available to preschool aged children. A physical education program was designed in order to help children: (a) to understand the importance of the healthy lifestyle and (b) to develop their social domain, learning to accept the diversity of each child. The program included daily lesson plans where early educators had the opportunity to apply innovative teaching methods, such as developmentally appropriate practices, creative and interdisciplinary teaching whose target was life-long learning. This program was based on the main standards of physical education for children 4-6 years old. One of the main activities of this project was the production of a training program for early educators to help them implement this new program. This training phase took place during two training seminars. Twenty early educators were trained from five countries: Greece, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Italy, and Finland. These educators taught a total of 500 children for six months. During the implementation phase of this program, there were three evaluation periods, before the beginning of the program, in the middle and at the end of it. According to the project results, changes and modifications were made to the program in order to make it as effective as possible. The revised program was published as a set of chapters including theory and practice.
Last Updated on July 6, 2021
