The use of drawings as an evaluative tool: students' experiences of sport education

Abstract

In this paper we examine the use of student drawings as a means of investigating students' perceptions of a particular school-based experience, namely Sport Education—for which we are using the description proposed by Siedentop (1994; 1998). On completion of a 16-week season of Sport Education in a primary school in the Midlands of England, 46 Year 5 students (aged nine and ten years) completed individual drawings arising from their experience of the programme. We discuss the methodological issues involved with using drawings as a form of data collection and explain how data from the drawings (the pictures themselves and the discussion about these) complemented findings from the more general ongoing interviews of the broader study. We conclude with issues pertaining to the use of drawings in this one particular school-based experience and general conclusions about student drawings as an evaluation tool. Those working with young people are encouraged to support the use of drawings as a child-centred procedure and evaluation tool.

Keywords:

• Sport Education
• Drawings
• Methodology
• Children's Experiences

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the teachers and Year 5 children at Forest Gate for their reflections on Sport Education. We would also like to thank the three individuals who coded the drawings and provided feedback on the process.