Purpose: A systematic review of the research conducted on Cooperative Learning in Physical Education in the last 5 years (2014–2019). Method: Seven databases were used to select those articles that included information on the implementation of Cooperative Learning in the different educational stages. After the exclusion criteria, 15 articles were fully assessed based on eight criteria: (1) year and author; (2) country; (3) number of participants, educational level, and duration of implementation; (4) type of research; (5) curricular content; (6) purpose of the research; (7) most relevant results; and (8) learning environment. Results: Results showed how research focused more on secondary education, mainly in short-term interventions. Most studies used qualitative and/or mixed methods, and dealt evenly with sports, motor skills, and physical abilities, leaving body expression underrepresented. Regarding the goals of the studies, social learning was the most frequently assessed, focusing on motivation, group climate, and teacher–student interaction. Criticisms regarding the shortness of the experiences and their fragmentation can still be considered valid. Conclusion: This review can help researchers and practitioners conduct Cooperative Learning intervention programs in primary and secondary Physical Education. They must be rigorous when they claim that they implement this pedagogical model in schools.

Background: A novel pedagogical approach that is becoming increasingly popular in educational contexts is called Gamification. To our knowledge, empirical research on its effectiveness in education is scarse, and almost absent in physical education. Purpose: The goal was to explore how Gamification can be used in physical education, and what experiential effects may have on students and teachers. Participants and settings: Two hundred and ninety students (age range 6–14 years) enrolled in four schools located in four regions of Spain agreed to participate. The study involved five different grades (from year two of primary school to year two of secondary school), and 12 different classes. Four physical education teachers, one from each school, also agreed to participate. All participating classes experienced the same intervention programme: MarvEF [MarvPE], based on the Marvel universe of super heroes. The project lasted 15 weeks, the whole fall semester, for a total of 30 physical education sessions (2 per week/50 min each). Gamification was the basic methodological approach used to design the three consecutive learning units experienced by all the participating students. Research design: The study followed a pre-experimental, one group pre-test-post-test design, where the same dependent variable (intrinsic motivation) is measured in only one group of participants prior and after the intervention. Data collection: A mixed methods approach was followed. It included quantitative information obtained from a questionnaire for the older students (n = 161), and qualitative information extracted from the younger students’ drawings (n = 126), discussion groups with the participating teachers (n = 5), and teachers’ diary (n = 2). Data analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using the statistical package SPSS (version 22.0). Qualitative data was assessed through content analysis and constant comparison. Findings: Quantitative results showed a significant increase in the students’ intrinsic motivation after experiencing Gamification. Students’ responses reflected one major theme: enjoyment, and two minor themes: friends and learning. On the other hand, teachers’ responses showed three themes: workload, portfolio and narrative. Conclusions: Gamification, implemented on a long-term basis, has been found an instructional framework capable of increasing students’ motivation towards physical education, beyond the initial ‘novelty effect’. Students enjoyed the different approach, and some, despite their young age (seven-eight years), believed that they have learned (which upgrades the education value of the subject). Four of the five elements identified as central to promote meaningful experiences in physical education and sport appeared in this study (Beni, Fletcher, and Ní Chróinín [2017]. ‘Meaningful Experiences in Physical Education and Youth Sport: A Review of the Literature.’ Quest (grand Rapids, Mich ) 69 (3): 291–312.): social interaction, fun, challenge and learning. Therefore, Gamification has the ingredients to foster significant physical education experiences in different educational levels (primary and secondary education), in students with different social (low, medium and high socio-economic status) and educational backgrounds (urban, rural) and teachers with different expertise on Gamification (novel and experienced). Finally, as expected, teachers showed concern for the workload of the new pedagogical approach.

Background: Cooperative Learning has been recently defined as a true pedagogical model. Moreover, in a recent review Casey and Goodyear reported that it can help physical education promote the four basic learning outcomes: physical, cognitive, social and affective. Purpose: The main goal was to investigate the impact of a sustained Cooperative Learning intervention on student motivation. The second goal was to assess students’ perceptions of the Cooperative Learning class climate. Finally, the third goal was to explore students’ feelings and thoughts after experiencing Cooperative Learning in physical education for an extended period of time. Participants and settings: 249 students (grades 8–11) and 4 teachers enrolled in 4 different high schools agreed to participate. Each school administration allocated several class groups to each teacher based on its necessities. Therefore, intact physical education classes played a part in this research project. They were randomly distributed into an experimental group with 137 students (mean age 13.91 ± 1.76 years), which experienced 3 consecutive cooperative learning units, and a comparison group with 112 students (mean age 13.41 ± 1.25 years), which experienced a traditional teaching approach during the same length of time. Research design: A pre-test, post-test, quasi-experimental, comparison group design was followed. Data collection: Prior to and at the end of the intervention programme, all participating students were asked to complete a questionnaire, which included the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale and the subscale ‘Cooperative Learning’ of the Perceived Motivational Climate Questionnaire. At post-test, participants in the experimental group were also asked to: ‘Describe your feelings, your thoughts and your ideas on the three Cooperative Learning units that you just experienced in physical education’. Data analysis: Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS 22.0, while MAXQDA 11 was used to assist with qualitative data management. Findings: Quantitative data showed an increase in intrinsic motivation and identified regulation only in the experimental group. This group also increased its perceptions of a Cooperative Learning class climate. Qualitative data analysis of the students’ responses after experiencing Cooperative Learning on a sustained basis produced five major themes: cooperation, relatedness, enjoyment, novelty and disappointment. All these findings are in line with Vallerand's hierarchical model of motivation, where social factors (i.e. Cooperative Learning) influence psychological mediators (i.e. relatedness), which mediate over the different types of motivation (i.e. intrinsic motivation) and finally lead to different outcomes (i.e. enjoyment). Conclusion: Cooperative Learning applied on a sustained basis can increase the most self-determined types of motivation, intrinsic motivation and identified regulation, in secondary education students. Students’ perceptions after experiencing Cooperative Learning for a long period of time reflected four positive ideas: cooperation, relatedness, enjoyment and novelty and a negative one: disappointment. Both the positive and the negative ideas should be considered when implementing Cooperative Learning in physical education, because students experience them.

Research on pedagogical models in physical education has exponentially increased over the last two decades [Casey, A., and D. Kirk. 2020. Models-Based Practice in Physical Education. London: Routle...

There seems to be a need to rethink education and shape the future to build more equitable societies. In line with this idea, Service-Learning (SL) has emerged as an educational approach to integra...