Measurement of the Effectiveness of a Developmentally Based Physical Education Curriculum for Students from Transition to Year 10 Schooling Years - Middle School Moves: Final Project Report (2007-2010)

The Armidale School (TAS) is an independent Anglican day and boarding school, located in the city of Armidale on the New England Tablelands of northern New South Wales. The school currently (2010) caters for approximately 600 students, including 200 boarders from Years 6 to 12. TAS has three levels of schooling: Junior, Middle and Senior Schools, The Junior School has a co-educational enrolment approach from Transition (4 years of age) to Year 5 (11 years of age). The Middle school is specialised for boys from Years 6 to 8; and, for the Senior School from Year 9 to 12 (up to 18 years of age). The TAS executive staff, in conjunction with the school's Physical Education faculty members embarked on a project to determine the efficacy of the TAS Physical Education programme. They sought the assistance and expertise of academic staff from Health, Physical Education and Sports Studies (HPESS) team from the School of Education at the University of New England. A Research Consultancy Agreement was established in 2004 and this report recaps the outcomes of the project from that time. The specific intent of the research collaboration was to ascertain whether the students at TAS were showing quantitative evidence of the effect of teaching and learning strategies embedded in the Physical Education classes at TAS. A proposal to conduct a longitudinal, repeat measure research design was initiated and endorsed. In general terms, students at TAS were to be measured for their coordination levels, over time. The proposed target audience for testing was the students from the Junior School. It was agreed that measurements of students would commence in November 2004, and occur either in February or in November each year. To reflect the title "Middle School Moves" in 2007, there was a unique set of circumstances which presented an opportunity to compare groups of almost even proportions. The new intake to TAS in January 2007 included as many new students into Year Six as there were long-term TAS students moving from Year Five. As such, an opportunity was available to compare long-term TAS students and a new cohort. This process of comparison of Year 6 groups has been in place for every two years since 2007.