Report on the Annual Conference of the DGfE Commission on Sports Education

From 14 to 16 November 2024, the 47th Annual Conference of the Commission on Sports Education of the German Society for Educational Research (DGfE) took place at Oldenburg Castle. The conference was organised by Prof. Dr Jan Erhorn and his team from the Department of Sport and Education at the University of Oldenburg. The event was funded by ‘zukunft.niedersachsen’.

With the conference theme ‘Physical Education Teacher Training – University Didactics in the Light of Research’, the focus was increasingly on the university educational context. The in-depth professional discussions among the approximately 60 participants were largely stimulated by three keynote lectures.

Towards effective teaching through professional learning modules?

The keynote lecture by Prof. Dr Horst Biedermann (Rector of the University of Teacher Education St Gallen) addressed the demands placed on lecturers to successfully initiate pupils’ learning processes whilst taking individual needs into account. In doing so, Horst Biedermann emphasised the challenges posed by the unpredictability and complexity of teaching and introduced the higher education didactic concept of ‘professional learning nuclei’, which is based on scientifically supported reflection on unsuccessful teaching sequences. The aim is to strengthen the link between theory and practice through hybrid spaces, whereby teacher trainers must take on various roles, such as researchers and practice mentors, in order to meet the demands of teacher training. Horst Biedermann invited the audience to engage courageously with the topic, acknowledging the disruptions and challenges within the context of professional development, thereby sparking an intense discussion.

What are suitable learning tasks for sport students? (Alternatively: What is the core of sport pedagogy?)

The keynote lecture by Prof. Dr Roland Messmer (University of Teacher Education of North-Western Switzerland) addressed gaps in the training of physical education teachers, both in terms of content and methodology. Whilst deficits in the professional knowledge of trainee teachers have been recognised, there is a lack of empirical data on the effectiveness of sport didactics teaching. In his lecture, Roland Messmer provides insights into his EPiC-PE study and critically highlights that, apparently, very little professional knowledge is required for successful physical education. The usual distinction between Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and Content Knowledge (CK) is difficult to substantiate in the field of sports didactics. The presentation examines which learning tasks and key competences physical education students need in order to receive practice-oriented training and to distinguish their training clearly from the job profiles of coaches or social education workers.

How can subject-specific practical training be further developed?

Prof. Dr Claudia Steinberg (German Sport University Cologne) provided an insight into the potential for further developing practical subject-specific training using the design-based research approach in her keynote lecture. Higher education in the field of sport and physical activity faces profound challenges shaped by social, pandemic-related and economic changes. The keynote lecture highlights how innovative teaching concepts – such as the use of digital media, interactive methods and AI-based tools – can enrich and further develop teaching. Particular emphasis is placed on design-based research as an approach to fostering teaching innovation, as well as on empirical studies that examine the opportunities and limitations of these approaches. Claudia Steinberg presents examples of projects from the German Sport University Cologne that are supported by programmes such as ‘Fellowships for Innovation in Higher Education Teaching’. The role of teaching staff as key shapers of the learning environment is particularly emphasised.

Eleven further specialist presentations highlighted the breadth of research in sports education and higher education pedagogy. An overview of the paper titles and authors can be found here: https://uol.de/sport/veranstaltungen/jahrestagung-2024-dgfe-kommission-sportpaedagogik/programm-1