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Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance

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Incorporating Problem-based Learning in Physical

Education Teacher Education
a a
Glenn Hushman & Gloria Napper-Owen
a
Department of Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences , University of New Mexico ,
Albuquerque , NM 87131
Published online: 26 Jan 2013.

To cite this article: Glenn Hushman & Gloria Napper-Owen (2011) Incorporating Problem-based Learning in
Physical Education Teacher Education, Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 82:8, 17-23, DOI:
10.1080/07303084.2011.10598671

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 Incorporating Problem-based
Learning in Physical Education
Teacher Education
Glenn Hushman Gloria Napper-Owen

Prepare new teachers to overcome real-world challenges.

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T
he national standards for initial physical education teacher education
(National Association for Sport and Physical Education [NASPE], 2009)
describe the basic competencies that beginning physical education teachers
should have. These revised standards reflect a shift to performance-based
assessment of physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ critical-thinking
skills, knowledge, and dispositions to be evidenced upon entering their first year of
teaching. As teacher educators in professional preparation programs set standards
of achievement for their PETE students and define how to assess them, they must
also determine instructional strategies to facilitate student learning that will meet
the standards.
First-year physical educators must provide evidence of their ability to use
best practices in the delivery of lessons that integrate scientific and theoretical
knowledge with their pedagogical content knowledge, classroom and behavior
management skills, and professional dispositions. However, when confronted
with the realities of the school environment in their first teaching job, many
beginning physical education teachers struggle to implement the best practices
and effective teaching behaviors learned in the professional preparation program.
The purpose of this article is to explore the use of problem-based learning as an
authentic means to prepare PETE students for their induction into the real world
of teaching physical education.

Problem-based Learning
John Dewey (1944) criticized traditional education because it did not encourage
students’ development of problem-solving abilities that are needed to be successful
in a professional setting. Traditional education focuses on the teacher providing
students with correct answers and then suggesting how these answers may be used
in teaching (Spence, 2004). According to Boud and Feletti (1991), although this
traditional type of instruction is prominent in university settings, it provides too
few opportunities for students to learn teamwork skills, develop important skills
of inquiry, and address major issues or problems relevant to particular professions.
The case-study approach to learning and problem-based learning (PBL) were de-
veloped in response to concerns that teaching practices in university settings did
not effectively prepare future professionals for the kind of problem solving that is
required in the workforce (Albion & Gibson, 2000). The case-study approach and
PBL have much in common. Both try to use authentic situations that often occur in
educational environments and to develop dialogue to encourage students to come
up with solutions to address specific issues (Boyce, 1996). The case-study approach
often uses long “stories” with rich descriptions, resulting in the reader feeling fully

JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011 17

 Photos by Rebecca Gustaf, courtesy of University of New Mexico
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The first author teaches a problem-based learning session focused on facility risk analysis.

immersed in the storied environment. Instead of focusing information, and (3) discussing of the problem and apply-
on a single problem, cases often include many different chal- ing knowledge to solve the problem (Barrows & Tamblyn,
lenges for the student to solve (Boyce, 1995). Often one case 1980). Students normally work in groups of five to eight and
can be used in a variety of classes due to the broad, lengthy, actively discuss and analyze a problem, listen to ideas and
and multifaceted nature of the story. Problem-based learning solutions, apply content knowledge, evaluate the solution,
differs from the case-study approach in that it has a more and ultimately share what they believe is the best solution
specific agenda, with much shorter, more focused problems to the posed real-world problem. Only after the conclusion
that students are required to solve. These problems are very of this process does the instructor offer guidance for possible
specific in nature, and their solution often requires very solutions to the question.
specific, recently learned theory.
Problem-based learning was first introduced in 1969 by Characteristics of Problem-based Learning
the Faculty of Health Sciences of McMaster University in A quality PBL experience should have the following charac-
Hamilton, Canada. The aim of PBL is to overcome several teristics (Barrows, 1996):
of the drawbacks of the traditional method of instruction, • Learning is student-centered. Students take responsibility
such as the lack of student involvement during lectures, for their own learning. The goal is for students to identify
irrelevant subject matter in the curriculum, lack of integra- what they need to know, where to find the knowledge, and
tion of previous coursework into current discussion, and the how to use that knowledge to solve a problem.
gap between theory and practical application. Barrows and • Learning occurs in small student groups. Working in col-
Tamblyn (1980) defined PBL as learning that results from the laborative groups is a real-world skill that students will need
process of working toward the understanding or resolution of to learn. Students will pool ideas and resources in order to
a problem. Problems in the PBL approach are “ill-structured,” address the problem.
resulting in realistic issues that occur naturally in educational • Teachers are facilitators. The teacher directs students to
settings. For example, there is often no textbook answer to sources with which to solve the problem. The teacher acts
address behavioral problems because the variables for each more like a guide, walking from group to group to help
behavioral problem are so different. Therefore, many differ- students solve problems as opposed to simply providing
ent resources need to be used in order to analyze and solve information.
such a complex problem. The realistic issues provided by the • Problems are the main focus of the lesson. The point of PBL
PBL approach require participants to use teamwork, planning, is for students to discuss problems that will likely occur in a
goal setting, and integration of learned material from previ- real professional setting. Therefore, the problem should be
ous coursework, as well as other resources to solve problems introduced in class rather than assigned beforehand in order
(Clarke & Hubball, 2001; Torp & Sage, 1998). to challenge the students to solve it with previous knowledge
There are three main phases to the PBL approach to and current resources.
teaching: (1) revealing the problem scenarios, (2) finding • Problems encourage the development of problem-solving skills.

18 JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011

 Problems should be complex enough to challenge students example, when teaching students about facility risk analysis,
to seek out new methods and techniques to solve them. the instructor might teach basic theoretical concepts in a
• Problems are “ill-structured” and domain specific. The most lecture format and then have students solve the problems of
challenging problems encountered in real professional set- a fictional facility in a group discussion (figure 1).
tings are often multifaceted, with many smaller aspects that Problem-based learning can also be a more “hands on”
need to be addressed in order to solve the overall problem. experience. For example, when PETE students practice teach-
Therefore, the problem should engage students’ skills and ing their adult peers, they normally do not deal with the
knowledge from many different areas of coursework in order management issues that must be addressed when teaching
to challenge their ability to solve the problem. young children and adolescents. In order to make peer teach-
• New information is acquired through self-directed learn- ing a more realistic and relevant experience, the instructor
ing. Students should develop new knowledge and expertise might have some of the students “act” a certain way (e.g.,
through their own experiences while solving problems. In a emotional, inattentive, talk out of turn) that may reflect some
professional setting, students will be expected to demonstrate of the challenges commonly encountered in a K-12 educa-
growth as a contributing member of the profession. Learning tional setting. The person leading the lesson must learn to
how to self-direct in an educational setting will encourage solve these management problems, which will develop the
personal success in future professional settings. skills needed in a real educational setting.
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Problem-based Learning in PETE Assessment in Problem-based Learning

Problem-based learning has been incorporated in youth team- The PBL approach to teaching requires the use of previous
sport settings to encourage greater team cohesion, address knowledge to solve problems, often resulting in a student’s
differing learning styles, and enhance critical thinking skills discovery of gaps in his or her knowledge and competence.
(Hubball & Robertson, 2004). Physical education teacher Therefore, the process of assessment should encourage stu-
education programs can also benefit from a PBL approach as dents to be open and honest and should foster an intrinsic de-
another way to educate future professionals. Programs utilize sire to grow as learners. Students immersed in a PBL approach
many methods to deliver pedagogical content to students. can best be assessed through reflection on the problem-solving
Many instructors teach progressively, starting with lectures process followed by identifying areas of knowledge that need
and discussions and later incorporating large-scale projects improvement. Macdonald and Savin-Baden (2004) suggested
or written papers in order to help students learn essential that assessment in a PBL approach should illustrate the abil-
skills for teaching physical education. While these teaching ity of students to “make judgments about how well they are
strategies may result in a more concrete understanding of learning and not just how much they have learned” (p. 86).
theoretical concepts, modeling how the concepts might be Macdonald and Savin-Baden suggested that assessment strate-
applied in a practical setting is often challenging. Problem- gies to measure student learning in PBL should:
based learning helps students understand how theory is ap- • measure the development of the learner from novice
plied to practical settings by introducing them to scenarios to expert,
taken from real or probable situations that might arise during • reflect real-world teaching situations and of assessment
student teaching or during the first years of teaching. For processes in real educational settings, and

Figure 1. Facility Risk-Analysis Problem Scenario

Only two weeks are left before summer break ends, and you report back to school for faculty meetings and to
prepare for the upcoming school year. Before you reach the gymnasium, the physical education teachers are called
into an emergency meeting by your principal. You and your colleagues are informed that a child using the gym-
nasium during a summer sporting event over the weekend was badly hurt when one of the boards in the bleachers
unexpectedly broke. The principal tells you it is now your sole responsibility and focus for the next few days to
assess your gymnasium and surrounding outside field and court areas for possible risks. You and your group need
to complete the following:
1. Using the information from the book and past lectures, address all of the areas of concern for your assigned area
(in this case, the gymnasium, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, field area, and play structure).
2. Develop a detailed map of your area. This should include identified objects, measurements, pathways, doorways, etc.
3. Identify areas of concern, locate them on your map, and highlight them.
4. Develop a report on every area of concern, which will include (a) a detailed description of why the area is of
concern (imagine you are writing this for the principal at your school), and (b) what needs to be fixed, built, etc.
to make the area safe.
5. Include a detailed summary of the current state of the facility. Give the facility a “grade” and defend your grade
with a rationale statement. Write this as if you were presenting it to the school administration (in other words,
very professionally).

JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011 19

 • Self-assessment—Students self-assess by having a specific
process for each problem. For example, once the problem
is solved, students break down the process of solving the
problem by asking about initial strategies, resources utilized,
struggles faced, and how the conclusion was reached.
• Peer assessment—Most professional teaching settings
Rebecca Gustaf, courtesy of University of New Mexico

require teachers and administrators to assess one another’s

job performance. For such peer assessment, a rubric or set
of questions, similar to what a public school administrator
may use to assess faculty, can be developed and then modi-
fied to reflect the scenarios faced during the PBL component
of the class.
• Reflective journals—Many higher education institu-
tions now have online environments where students can
chat with one another. Students can write reflectively about
experiences while solving the problems introduced in class.
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Teachers may suggest or require students to respond to one

another’s posts with constructive feedback or general com-
Students analyze a problem in a problem-based learning session.
ments to spur discussion about problem solving.
• be student-centered in that students should be able to • Reports—Many educational institutions require formal
self-assess in order to encourage self-directed learning. reports to administrators and parents. Requiring students
Although reflective assessment offers a meaningful way in to write formal reports similar to those required in a public
which to measure student success in a PBL approach, more teaching job would give them good practice. For example,
traditional means of assessment, such as examinations and after the students solve a hypothetical management problem,
written papers, are also acceptable. However, these types of they could write a formal memo to an administrator regard-
assessment should be supplemental, so that the larger portion ing the incident, how it was solved, and the rationale as to
of the grade is earned through reflection and growth. The goal why it was solved in that manner.
of PBL is to build a bridge between practice and theory, allow-
ing students to understand the limitations of knowledge as it Example Problem-based Learning Scenarios
applies to a real-world setting. This being the case, methods of The set of PBL scenarios in the sidebar can be incorporated
assessment that emphasize reflective student learning are more into a variety of PETE program courses in order to open an
applicable than traditional outcome-based assessments. avenue for discussion. The set of scenarios is progressive,
Macdonald and Savin-Baden (2004) also offered a variety challenging the group of students to solve problems that
of assessment options that move away from outcome-based may arise for a teacher throughout a “real-world” school year.
examinations and work in a harmonious fashion with the When students are grouped for this set of scenarios, they
PBL approach: should imagine themselves as first-year physical education
• Group presentations—Many teaching jobs require teach- teachers working in a school district with one another. When
ers to work in departments, which requires learning to work facilitating these scenarios, teachers should allow groups to
in a group of other professionals. Students can be grouped discuss solutions for about 10 minutes without instructor
together into “departments” that would resemble a depart- guidance. Students should consider concepts and theories
ment they may work within during a full-time teaching learned during class and in previous coursework and then
position. A group-work rubric can be developed from which share ideas with the class. The sidebar also includes questions
to measure peer participation (figure 2). that can help students to further dissect a problem if they
• Individual presentations—Jobs in education often require are struggling to find solutions.
teachers to present not only to students but to staff, faculty,
and parents. Students can prepare a PowerPoint presentation Summary
about solutions to a variety of problems faced during class. Taking time during a PETE program to address potential
Students could discuss topics such as resources, conclusions, struggles that student teachers and beginning teachers may
roadblocks to solutions, and reflection or growth. face in an educational environment will prepare them to
• Portfolios—This could be a collection of problems faced overcome real-world challenges. A PBL approach to teach-
during the semester and would likely act as a more summative ing will encourage the development of strong inquiry skills,
assessment tool. Smaller components of the portfolio could analysis of scenarios that may be faced during teaching, and
be used as formative means of assessment. Each problem an enhanced ability to work in a group to address multifac-
faced may contain strategies the student used to solve it, fol- eted problems. Moreover, PBL may inspire a more intrinsic
lowed by a reflective component that shows student growth motivation in students to learn key concepts and theories in
over the class period. PETE. These learned concepts coupled with explored strate-

20 JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011

 Figure 2. Group Peer Evaluation

Name of Evaluator:______________________ Workshop Week # ___ Group Member Being Evaluated:__________________

You need to complete one evaluation for each group member and for yourself. Save it and then attach it to the cor-
rect week on the Peer Evaluation assignment page. Please add a comment addressing reasons for any score below a 3
in any category.
Category 5 3 1 0
Contributions Routinely provided Usually provided Sometimes provided Never provided
useful ideas when par- useful ideas when useful ideas when partici- useful ideas when
ticipating in the group participating in pating in the group and participating in
and in classroom the group and in in classroom discus- the group and in
discussion. A definite classroom discussion. sion. Only does what is classroom discus-
leader who contrib- A strong group mem- required. sion. Refused to
utes a lot of effort. ber who tried hard! participate.

Quality of Work Provided work of the Provided quality Provided work that Provided work
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highest quality. work. occasionally needed to that needed to be

be checked/redone by redone by others to
other group members to ensure quality.
ensure quality.

Attitude Never is publicly Rarely is publicly Occasionally is publicly Was publicly criti-
critical of the project critical of the project critical of the project or cal of the project or
or the work of others. or the work of oth- the work of other mem- the work of other
Always has a positive ers. Often has a posi- bers of the group. Rarely members of the
attitude about the tive attitude about has a positive attitude group. Never has
task(s). the task(s). about the task(s). a positive attitude
about the task(s).
Preparedness Brought needed mate- Brought most of the Did not bring needed Forgot all needed
rials to class and was needed materials and materials and was not materials.
ready and enthusias- was ready to work. interested in the project.
tic to work.

Focus on the Task Consistently stayed Focused on the task Focused on the task and Rarely or never
focused on the task and what needed to what needed to be done focused on the task
and what needed to be done most of the some of the time. Other and what needed to
be done. Very self- time. Other group group members must be done. Lets others
directed. members can count sometimes nag, prod, do the work.
on this person. and remind to keep this
person on-task.

Working with Almost always lis- Usually listened to, Often listened to, shared Rarely or never
Others tened to, shared with, shared with, and with, and supported the listened to, shared
and supported the supported the efforts efforts of others, but with, and sup-
efforts of others. Tried of others. Does not sometimes is not a good ported the efforts of
to keep people work- cause “waves” in the team member. others. Often is not
ing well together. group. a good team player.
Time Routinely used time Usually used time Tended to procrastinate, Rarely or never
Management well throughout the well throughout the but always got things got things done by
project to ensure project. Group may done by the deadline. the deadline. The
things got done on have had to adjust Group may have had group had to adjust
time. Group did not work responsibilities to slightly adjust work work responsibili-
have to adjust work once or twice be- responsibilities because ties because of this
responsibilities be- cause of this person’s of this person’s procrasti- person’s inadequate
cause of this person’s procrastination. nation. time management.
procrastination.

Total Score: ____ out of possible 35 points

Comments on items scored under level 3:

JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011 21

 A Sample Problem-based Learning Progression
Problem 1
After graduation, you accept your first job as a full-time physical education teacher. You and the members of your
group have all been hired as elementary physical education teachers in the same school district. You all work for
an instructional program coordinator who has been a teacher for over a decade and the program coordinator of the
physical education program in your school district for the past six years. While you are planning your curriculum for
the year in the first week of school, you decide the best approach to teaching elementary physical education is the
skill-theme approach you learned in your teacher preparation program. During an all-district staff meeting, you share
this idea with a math teacher. He laughs and tells you to follow the curriculum the program coordinator has followed
for the past decade because the coordinator strictly follows the old adage “my way or the highway.” You prefer to
incorporate a curricular model that is developmentally appropriate, and you know teaching traditional sports at the
elementary level will not equate to your students finding success in physical education. However, you also want to
keep your job. What would you do?
1. How might you approach your department chair with new ideas without upsetting her or him?
2. How might you modify the game of kickball in order to follow the “usual” curriculum, but also produce a high-
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quality, appropriate activity?

Problem 2
The first month has passed and you all begin to feel more confident as first-year elementary physical education
teachers. You begin discussing behavior problems with other teachers and realize that you all seem to have three to
four students who get off task very easily and challenge you when you ask them to do something. You all decide to
approach the program coordinator for advice, but she tells you to “just send them back to the classroom and if they
continue being disruptive, just take away all recess time for a week.” You all believe this is not a feasible solution,
because the children need to be involved in the instructional lessons, as well as the physical activity that comes from
recess time. What would you do?
1. Taking into consideration that you are teaching at the elementary level, what type of behavior policy or system
might you implement to encourage more appropriate student behaviors?
2. What resources might you use in order to find solutions to your management issues?

Problem 3
After working for two months at your new job as an elementary physical education teacher, you begin to realize you are
a seemingly separate entity from the rest of the school. Your gymnasium is not attached to the main campus, resulting
in less frequent visits from administrators. During all-staff meetings, the topics of discussion are rarely relevant to physi-
cal education, often focusing on No Child Left Behind and testing issues. When you attend social gatherings, other
teachers often slap you on the back and suggest they wished they had a “fun” and “relaxing” job like you as a “gym
teacher.” During parent-teacher conferences, you rarely get parents interested in visiting with you about their children.
You feel completely disconnected from the school staff, parents, and community. What would you do?
1. How might you enhance communication between yourself and the school staff, parents, and community?
2. What resources might you use in order to find solutions to this problem?
3. What might you do to feel more a part of the all-staff meetings?

Problem 4
You survived your first year of teaching. As the new school year approaches, your principal informs you that, due to
severe budge cuts, your elementary school is being consolidated with another local elementary school. The district
has been forced to move you to a local high school where you will be employed as physical education teacher and
coach of after-school sports. Three other new teachers in your cohort experience similar reassignments to the high
school. However, some of these teachers will have a split assignment and must teach physical education as well as
classroom subject areas and must coach spring sport teams with you. The sport teams at your new placement have
historically performed well in the soccer, cross-country, and football seasons, but the softball, baseball, and track and
field teams have performed poorly in the past. The principal calls you all into the office and expresses his concern
regarding the lack of success of these teams. He suggests a winning record would be in the best interest of the school,
as it means more funding from alumni and community members. You all leave the meeting feeling a great amount
of pressure to host a winning season for spring athletics. You are concerned about the amount of time necessary to
deliver both a high-quality physical education experience and a winning season in spring athletics. How are you go-
ing to find the time to develop a competitive spring athletic program and continue providing a high-quality physical
education experience?

22 JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011

 1. What are some strategies to get more organized and use what little planning time you have more efficiently?
2. What resources might you use in order to find solutions to this problem?
3. What curricular models, teaching techniques, or other pedagogical elements might take less time to prepare for
but still result in high-quality physical education?

Problem 5
You are beginning to feel burned out. Coaching is taking up more time than you first thought. Your students are be-
coming more and more difficult to motivate and keep interested, and there is a general disconnect between you and
other members of your department. All year you worked overtime to modify and revise ineffective and inappropriate
activities that have been forced upon you by the department chair, who is also the district program coordinator. As
you watch her roll out yet another ball, you begin to think she might have the right idea. After all, she has kept her
job, the kids are always happy, and it takes a third of the effort, leaving you with more time and energy to work on
coaching and other professional aspects of your life.
1. How might you work as a group to keep the morale positive in your department?
2. What resources might you use in order to find solutions to this problem?
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3. What new activities or events might you develop to enhance your own interest in teaching?

Problem 6
Your group comes back from the AAHPERD National Convention and Expo feeling invigorated and excited about the
remainder of the school year. You were introduced to some interesting and dynamic new activities that you believe
will greatly benefit your students. The problem is you have very little equipment, which you will need to incorporate
some of the new activities and games you just learned about. The kind of equipment you need is not terribly expen-
sive, so you think there is a good chance you can get funding from your school administration. The entire depart-
ment approaches the principal with the new ideas, but he tells you there is no money for equipment for the next
few years due to budget constraints. You know you need this equipment to deliver a high-quality, standards-based
physical education program. What would you do?
1. What kind of strategies might you consider to raise your own money to obtain equipment for your department?
2. What resources might you use in order to find solutions to this problem?
3. How might you get your community and other teachers involved in funding the new equipment?

gies about how to solve possible real-world educational prob- Dewey, J. (1944). Democracy and education: An introduction to the phi-
lems will help future physical education teachers to navigate losophy of education. New York: The Free Press.
difficult situations and develop into expert teachers. Hubball, H., & Robertson, S. (2004). Using problem-based learning to
enhance team and player development in youth soccer. Journal of
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JOPERD • Volume 82 No. 8 • October 2011 23