The influence of occupational
socialisation upon a teacher’s
interpretation and delivery of
Teaching Games for Understanding
to pupils experiencing social and
emotional behavioural difficulties
NICK O’LEARY, CARL LONGMORE and
RICHARD MEDCALF
This study examined how one physical education (PE) teacher in a special-
ist school for pupils with social and emotional behavioural difficulties
(SEBD) taught Year 9 pupils utilising the Teaching Games for Understand-
ing (TGfU) model. The research identified factors that led to such
instruction, and considered the influence of occupational socialisation on
the pedagogical approaches of the teacher. Data collection methods were
semi-structured interviews and non-participant lesson observations. The
resultant data were inductively analysed. Observations revealed that the
lessons emphasised problem-solving and limited technical practice. Inter-
views detailed how the factors influencing this practice were other PE
teachers and the nature of the pupils. This research makes two recommen-
dations: first, SEBD schools wishing to utilise TGfU should examine the
prior pedagogical experiences of potential employees; second, student
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
© 2014 NASEN
DOI: 10.1111/1467-9604.12046