The study of declarative and procedural knowledge makes it possible to ascertain what cognitive processes are like during motor learning. This study aimed to compare, according to the methodology, gender and experience (football practise), and the levels of declarative and procedural knowledge after the implementation of two intervention programmes on school football including one based on the tactics learning and the other on the technique learning. A total of 41 students in the 5th year of primary education from a state school from Spain, distributed in two class groups, participated in the study. Each class group participated in a different intervention programme. The sample of subjects was equal (tactical programme (n = 20) and technical programme (n = 21)). A panel of 13 experts validated both programmes. Levels of knowledge were measured using the Tactical Knowledge Assessment test in football. A descriptive analysis was performed to characterise the sample. Moreover, a t-test for independent samples, a t-test for related samples, and a 2 × 2 ANOVA (analysis of variance) were performed to compare the levels of knowledge between the pre-test and the post-test, according to the methodology, gender, and experience of the students. Results indicate that both intervention programmes induced higher levels of declarative and procedural knowledge in the post-test. Similarly, there were no significant differences with regard to the applied methodology. This fact is due to the heterogeneous character of the class groups with gender and experience showing effects on the levels of knowledge. The boys possessed greater experience and a higher level of knowledge compared to the girls.

Football performance requires beginning learners to develop both technical skills and tactical awareness. The aim of this study was to examine and contrast the differences in the learning of football across two different teaching methodologies. A total of 35 students, distributed in two class-groups at the fifth-grade level of primary education participated in the study. Each class group participated in just one of the intervention programs (tactical program, n = 17; technical program, n = 18). The Instrument for the Measurement of Learning and Performance in Football was used to evaluate each student’s actions and in relation to specific performance indicators. For each one of the play actions analyzed, the Performance Index of Decision-Making, the Performance Index of Technical Execution, and the Performance Index of Final Results were calculated and these scores were summed to generate the Total Performance Index. The differences in technical and tactical learning between the class-groups were calculated using the Total Performance Index. For this assessment, various statistical tests were used: the Mann–Whitney’s U and the Wilcoxon’s T (for the non-parametric variables) and the T-test for Independent Samples, as well as the T-test for Related Samples (for the parametric variables). Likewise, a 2 × 2 ANOVA was conducted to determine whether the students’ previous experience had an effect on the level of learning. The results indicated improvements with both intervention programs; however, the tactical program provided a higher level of learning than the technical program between the assessment tests. The experience of the students had an effect on the play actions of dribbling the ball and in marking the player without the ball. Physical education teachers are recommended to implement comprehensive methods for technical and tactical football teaching at school.

The methodology used by the teacher in Physical Education sessions conditions the physical fitness of the students, since the design of the tasks determines the physical and physiological demands to which they are exposed. This study aimed to quantify and compare, according to the teaching methodology and students’ previous experience, the external (eTL) and internal (iTL) load resulting from the application of three intervention programmes that follow different teaching methodologies to teach school basketball: the Tactical Games Approach (TGA), Direct Instruction (DI) and Service Teacher’s Basketball Unit (STBU). The Ratings of Perceived Exertion (RPEs) recorded in the assessments (pre-test/post-test) were also studied. A total of 49 students, aged 11 to 12 and divided into three class groups, from the sixth grade of primary education at a state school in Spain, participated in the study. Teaching–learning programs were randomly assigned to student groups. All the sessions were monitored with inertial devices that made it possible to record physical activity and convert the information into kinematic parameters. The results indicated that during the sessions, the students who followed the TGA method recorded higher values of eTL (player load; DI = 4.92, TGA = 6.95, STBU = 2.99) and iTL (mean heart rate; DI = 142.94, TGA = 157.12, STBU = 143.98). In addition, during the evaluation tests, they presented heart rate levels similar to those obtained by the students in the other programmes. However, they spent more time doing high-intensity activity, working longer in the running (DI = 3.42, TGA = 11.26, STBU = 8.32) and sprinting speed ranges (DI = 0.00, TGA = 0.12, STBU = 0.11), and presenting better physical fitness. During the assessments, students with no prior basketball experience showed higher levels of top speed; experienced students had higher levels of heart rate. The TGA method favours the physical condition and health of primary education students, which is why this method is recommended when planning Physical Education sessions.

Analysing declarative and procedural knowledge in sport makes it possible to evaluate the students’ acquisitions in the learning process. This study aimed to compare the acquisition of declarative and procedural knowledge after the implementation of several intervention programmes in school basketball, according to the methodology and prior experience of the students. A total of 55 students from the sixth year of primary education took part in the study, distributed into three groups. Each group participated in a different intervention programme: tactical games approach (TGA), direct instruction (DI) or service teacher’s basketball unit (STBU). The level of knowledge was measured using the Test of Declarative and Procedural Knowledge in Basketball (TDPKB). A descriptive analysis was performed to determine the participants’ characteristics. A factorial ANOVA was subsequently applied in two phases (pre-test and post-test) for independent samples to compare the level of knowledge among the different groups, and a t-test for related samples was performed to compare the pre–post knowledge level within each group. Then, a factorial ANOVA and a test of repeated measures were carried out to determine the effect of the methodology and experience on the students’ knowledge. The results indicate that the TGA, DI and STBU intervention programmes induced improvements in the levels of declarative and procedural knowledge in all the groups, with the students who participated in the TGA programme achieving higher levels of declarative knowledge. Finally, the effect of the absence of practical experience was identified as a determining factor for improvement. The students who had not previously practised basketball achieved higher levels of knowledge with the TGA intervention programme.

Research on Sports Pedagogy necessitates studying the knowledge possessed by pre-service teachers (PSTs) and its application in the planning of sports in school. The main objectives of this study were to consider if PSTs really apply their beliefs when planning their didactic units, and to analyse time management and its influence on external load in invasion sports. Eighteen PSTs were interviewed and 899 learning tasks were coded using the Integral Analysis System of Training Tasks. Three groups of pedagogical variables (type of task, game phase and game situation), organisational variables related to time and the external load were analysed. A descriptive analysis was made of the contents of the interviews, on the use of the pedagogical variables and on those used in the learning tasks. Application exercises were set by 50.70% of the tasks and 44.30% were without opposition. This did not coincide with teachers’ beliefs, as they did not show a clear choice of ideal type of task and indicated that individual game situations with opposition were preferable. A descriptive analysis was also made of the organisational variables according to the planned sport. Inferential analysis using the Kruskal-Wallis H test and pairwise multiple comparisons showed differences in the motor commitment and external load of the task*time depending on the type of invasion sport (p < 0.05). Time management conditioned the motor commitment and task load.

Today, it is important for physical education teachers to know students’ motivation profiles for learning. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze achievement motivation according to four variables: students’ sex, the taught sport modality, students’ experience and teaching methodology. Likewise, the effects of students’ sex and experience on the methodologies applied were analyzed. A total of 108 primary education students (10.95 ± 0.48 years), 54 boys and 54 girls, from three state schools participated in the study. The students answered the Achievement Motivation in Physical Education test (Spanish version) after participating in soccer and basketball programs based on different methodologies. Each class-group received a different educational program (soccer or basketball). The differences between the categories of the variables analyzed were calculated for each dimension of the motivational test through the Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis H tests. The effects of students’ sex and experience on the teaching methodologies applied were analyzed using the univariate General Linear Model test. In soccer and basketball, boys perceived being more motor competent (U = 732.00; p < 0.05; r = 0.43) than girls. In addition, experienced students in both sports perceived being more motor competent (U = 695.50; p < 0.05; r = 0.27) than inexperienced students. In turn, they indicated feeling less failure anxiety and stress (U = 780.00; p < 0.05; r = 0.22). All of the students who played soccer reported more commitment (learning dedication) (U = 1051.50; p < 0.05; r = 0.20) and perceived motor competence (U = 972.00; p < 0.05; r = 0.24) than students who played basketball. Considering the effects of students’ sex and experience on the methodologies (perceived motor competence dimension), there were significant differences (F = 7.68; p < 0.05; ηp² = 0.07) in favor of experienced boys who played soccer and basketball using the Tactical Games Approach methodology. Soccer was practiced more in school and out of school. This made students feel greater commitment (learning dedication) and perceived motor competence towards this invasion sport in physical education. In addition, it was shown that teachers should take into account students’ sex and experience because they are two factors that influence the teaching of sports and achievement motivation.