Recent trends in research literature on game based approaches to teaching and coaching games

As suggested by Curry and Light in chapter nine, the expanding output of research on games

based approaches (GBAs) over the past decade has not been reflected in expanding utilisation

of GBAs in school-based physical education programmes and club-based sport coaching

environments. Reasons for this lack of ‘uptake’ are varied and range from a lack of exposure

to effective GBA professional development opportunities to the prolonged acceptance of a

performative culture often embedded within physical education and youth sport programmes

(Harvey and Jarrett, 2012; Dismore and Bailey, 2010). The literature on games teaching

published since Oslin and Mitchell’s review of GBAs in 2006 continues to acknowledge the

many benefits of using GBAs, but also acknowledges, and to a lesser extent addresses, the

key challenges associated with the employment of learner-centred and GBA pedagogies. This

chapter provides an overview of post-2005 research trends in the GBA literature to identify

and discuss the prominent themes that arose from this meta-analysis.